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P.   J.   DE  SMET,   S.J. 


THE  LIFE  OF 
FATHER  DE  SMET,S.J, 

(1801-1873) 

By    E.    LAVEILLE,   S.J. 

i  /  > 

Authorized  Translation  by  Marian  Lindsay 
Introduction  by  Charles  Coppens,  S.J. 

ILLUSTRATED 


NEW     YORK 

P.  J.  KENEDY  &  SONS 
1915 


Wiilil  WbBtoxt 

Remy  Lafort,  S.T.D. 

Censor 


\    (s>-   \  I  C|  (p  O 

Jmprimator 

►J<John   Cardinal    Farley 

Archbishop  of  N~ew  York 


$>ro  $ nrk,  Nowmbfr  IB,  1915 


Copyright,  1915,  by  P.  J.  Kenedy  &  Sons 


CONTENTS 

Introduction 


CHAPTER   I 

CHILDHOOD — YOUTH — DEPARTURE   FOR   AMERICA 
(l8oi-l82l) 

Termonde — The  Family — "Honest  De  Smet" — The  Parish  Priest  of 
Heusden  —  Peter's  Birth  —  His  Childhood  —  "Samson"  —  His  First 
Studies — Beirvelde,  St.  Nicolas,  Alost,  Mechlin — His  Vocation — Father 
Nerinckx — Young  De  Smet  with  Eight  Companions  Leaves  Secretly 
for  America — His  Brother  Charles  is  Sent  to  Find  Him — The  Police  of 
King  William — Arrival  at  Georgetown I 

CHAPTER   II 

THE     NOVITIATE — ARRIVAL    OF    THE    JESUITS    IN    MISSOURI 

(1821-1823) 

The  Jesuits  in  New  France  and  Maryland — Bishop  Carroll — Whitemarsh 
— Father  Van  Quickenborne — Peter  De  Smet  at  the  Novitiate — De- 
parture for  Missouri — "A  Floating  Monastery" — Florissant — Madam 
Duchesne — "  Samson,"  Architect  and  Carpenter — First  Vows    ...     24 

CHAPTER   III 

THE   SCHOLASTICATE — PRIESTHOOD — FIRST   LABORS 
(1823-1830) 

Father  Van  Quickenborne  at  once  Superior,  Professor,  Parish  Priest  at 
Florissant,  and  Chaplain  of  the  Sacred  Heart  Convent — Father  De 
Theux — Peter  De  Smet's  Studies — Confidence  Reposed  in  Him  by  His 
Superiors — His  Taste  for  Natural  Science — The  Priesthood — Joost  De 
Smet's  Death  —  The  Third  Year  —  Beginning  of  Apostolic  Work — 
Florissant,  St.  Charles,  etc. — The  "Indian  College" — The  Plan  for  a 
"Reduction" — Circumstances  Preventing  Its  Accomplishment  .     .     .     41 

CHAPTER   IV 

THE    ST.    LOUIS    COLLEGE — SOJOURN    IN    EUROPE 

(1830-1837) 

St.  Louis,  "the  Queen  of  the  West" — Building  the  College — Father  De 
Smet,  Prefect,  Professor  of  English,  and  Procurator — Rapid  Growth — 


iv  CONTENTS 

The  College  is  Given  the  Title  and  Privileges  of  a  University — Financial 
Embarrassment — Father  De  Smet  is  Sent  to  Europe  to  Obtain  Money — 
His  Health  Requires  a  Change — A  Visit  to  His  Family,  to  Benefactors, 
and  to  Mr.  De  Nef — A  Financial  Success — Father  De  Smet  Wishes  to  Sail 
— A  Serious  Illness  Forces  Him  to  Return  to  Belgium — He  Obtains 
Permission  to  Leave  the  Society — Services  Rendered  to  the  Nuns  at 
Termonde — The  Foundation  of  the  Carmelites  at  Alost — His  Devotion 
to  the  Missions — As  Soon  as  His  Health  is  Restored  He  Returns  to 
Missouri,  and  is  Readmitted  to  the  Society  of  Jesus 57 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   POTAWATOMI   MISSION    (1838-1839) 

Progress  Made  by  the  Jesuits  in  Missouri — Father  Van  Quickenborne's 
Apostolate  to  the  Indians — His  Death — Fathers  De  Smet  and  Verreydt 
are  Sent  to  Open  a  Mission  for  the  Potawatomies  at  Council  Bluffs — 
First  Journey  on  the  Missouri — A  Dinner  at  the  Otoes — The  Disposi- 
tion of  the  Indians — Their  Conversion  will  be  "a  Work  of  God" — 
The  Missionaries'  First  Successes — Loneliness  and  Privations — Father 
De  Smet  Effects  a  Reconciliation  between  the  Sioux  and  the  Pota- 
watomies— Whiskey — "What  Could  One  Do  with  Two  Thousand 
Drunken  Indians?" — Father  De  Smet's  Journey  to  St.  Louis — He  is 
Replaced  at  Council  Bluffs  by  Father  Christian  Hoecken  .      ...     77 

CHAPTER  VI 

THE    FLATHEADS.      FIRST   JOURNEY   TO    THE    ROCKY 
MOUNTAINS    (1840) 

The  Growing  Prosperity  of  the  United  States — The  Indian  Situation — 
Admirable  Dispositions  of  the  Flatheads — Old  Ignatius — The  Indians 
Who  Four  Times  Made  a  Three-thousand-mile  Journey  to  Obtain  the 
Black  Robes — Father  De  Smet  is  Sent  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  to 
Prepare  the  Foundation  of  a  New  Mission — How  One  Traveled  in 
1 840  Across  the  Prairies — A  Meeting  between  Father  De  Smet  and  the 
Flatheads — One  of  Napoleon's  Grenadiers — A  Sojourn  in  the  Camp 
of  Big  Face — The  Missionary's  Joys — On  the  Summit  of  the  Rockies — 
Sanctus  Ignatius  Patronus  Montium — Father  De  Smet  Leaves  the 
Flatheads — Dangers  He  Encountered  in  the  Yellowstone — Triumphant 
Reception  by  the  Sioux — He  Returns  to  St.  Louis 96 

CHAPTER  VII 

SECOND  JOURNEY  TO  THE  MOUNTAINS — ST.  MARY'S  MISSION 

(1841-1842) 

Father  De  Smet  Returns  to  the  Mountains  with  Fathers  Point  and  Men- 
garini — Difficulties  of  the  Journey — A  Cyclone  on  the  Platte — Hail, 
Majestic  Rock!— Arrival  at  Fort  Hall— The  Bitter  Root  River- 
Founding  of  St.  Mary's  Mission — A  New  Paraguay — The  First  Bap- 
tisms— Solemnization  of  Marriages — The  Blessed  Virgin  Appears  to  a 
Child— The  Order  of  the  Day  at  the  Mission— Fervor  of  the  New 


CONTENTS  v 

Christians  —  The  Winter  Hunt — The    First  Communion  —  Death  of 
Big  Face 119 

CHAPTER  VIII 

JOURNEYS  TO  FORT  COLVILLE  AND    FORT  VANCOUVER — THE 

KALISPELS    AND    THE    CCEUR    D'ALENES FATHER 

BLANCHET    (1841-1842) 

The  Privations  of  the  Missionaries — Father  De  Smet  Goes  to  Fort  Colville 
to  Get  Provisions — The  Kalispels — Baptism  of  Some  Old  Indians — 
Messis  quidem  Multa,  Operarii  A  utem  Pauci — First  Attempt  at  Farming 
at  St.  Mary's — Journey  to  Fort  Vancouver — The  Cceur  d'Alenes — 
Father  De  Smet  Sees  Five  of  His  Companions  Drowned  in  the  Columbia 
— Oregon  in  1840 — Fathers  Blanchet  and  Demers — A  Mission  Must 
Be  Opened  at  Willamette — Father  De  Smet's  Return  to  St.  Louis — ■ 
On  His  Way  Back  He  is  Received  by  the  Crows — Dominus  Memor 
Fuit  Nostri,  el  Benedixit  Nobis 136 

CHAPTER   IX 

SECOND  VOYAGE  TO  EUROPE  (1843-1844) 

Fathers  De  Vos  and  Adrian  Hoecken  are  Sent  to  the  Mountains — Father 
De  Smet  and  Daniel  O'Connell — A  National  Meeting — Journey  to 
Rome — Father  De  Smet  Received  by  the  Pope — Gregory  XVI  Wishes 
to  Make  Him  a  Bishop — New  Missionaries — Sisters  of  Notre  Dame — 
From  Antwerp  to  Vancouver  around  the  Horn — A  Seven  Months' 
Journey — Storms,  Shortage  of  Food,  Reefs 153 

CHAPTER  X 

THE    OREGON    MISSIONS    (1844-1846) 

The  Jesuits  and  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame  at  Willamette — St.  Francis  Xavier's 
Mission — Father  De  Smet,  Organizer  of  the  Missions — How  He  En- 
couraged and  Aided  His  Fellow-Missionaries — St.  Ignatius'  Mission  at 
the  Kalispels;  Father  Adrian  Hoecken — The  Sacred  Heart  Mission  at 
the  Cceur  d'Alenes;  Fathers  Point  and  Joset — Louise  Sighouin — 
Visit  to  St.  Mary's;  Fathers  Mengarini  and  Zerbinati — Jesuits'  Success 
at  Willamette;  Fathers  Accolti,  Ravalli,  Vercruysse,  and  De  Vos — 
Father  Nobili  is  Sent  to  New  Caledonia — Father  De  Smet's  Visit  to  the 
Chaudieres,  Flatbows,  and  Kootenais — The  Missions  of  St.  Paul, 
Colville,  St.  Peter  of  the  Lakes,  St.  Francis  Regis,  the  Assumption,  and 
the  Immaculate  Heart  of  Mary — Father  Ravalli  Goes  to  Join  Father 
Hoecken  at  St.  Ignatius'  Mission  —  How  Account  for  Father  De 
Smet's  Success?  —  A  Would-be  Murderer  who  Became  a  Model 
Neophyte 162 

CHAPTER   XI 

THE    QUEST     OF    THE     BLACKFEET     (1845-1846) 

St.  Mary's  Mission  Threatened — Father  De  Smet  Goes  in  Search  of  the 
Blackfeet  to  Induce  Them  to  Make  Peace — Autumn  in  the  Rocky 


vi  CONTENTS 

Mountains — Mirabilia  opera  Domini — Coming  upon  the  Camp  of  the 
Assiniboins — A  Feast  with  the  Indians — "Like  a  Fish  on  a  Hook" — 
Father  De  Smet  Arrives  at  Rocky  Mountain  House — A  Band  of 
Blackfeet  Come  to  Join  Him — The  Dangerous  Interpreter — The  In- 
accessible Tribe  —  The  Missionary  Decides  to  Pass  the  Winter  at 
Fort  Edmonton — He  Visits  St.  Anne's  Mission — On  a  Sledge  from 
Saskatchewan  to  Athabasca— A  Christian  Who  Had  Not  Seen  a  Priest 
for  Forty  Years — Crossing  the  Mountains  when  the  Snow  Was  Melting 
—To  Reduce  His  Weight  Father  De  Smet  Fasts  for  Thirty  Days- 
Descent  of  the  Columbia — A  Meeting  with  Father  Nobili — Journey  to 
Vancouver  and  Willamette — The  Grotesque  Indian — Progress  of  the 
Missions — Victory  of  the  Flatheads  over  the  Crows — The  Impression 
Produced  on  the  Blackfeet — Father  De  Smet's  Complete  Success — 
"Exaltation  of  the  Holy  Cross" — Father  Point  is  Charged  to  Open  a 
Mission  for  the  Blackfeet — Father  De  Smet's  Return  to  St.  Louis — 
The  Aricaras — The  Sioux — The  Missionary's  Prodigious  Labors — 
Consoling  Results 1 79 

CHAPTER  XII 

THIRD    VOYAGE    TO    EUROPE PUBLICATION    OF    THE     "LET- 
TERS"  VISIT   TO    THE    SIOUX    (1847-1848) 

Father  De  Smet  Goes  to  Europe  with  Father  Elet— The  "Journeys  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains  "and  "The  Missions  of  Oregon  " — Interest  Manifested 
in  the  Works  of  Father  De  Smet — "Such  a  Book  Revives  Our  Faith 
in  the  Gospel  of  St.  John"— The  Revolution  of  1848— Arrival  in 
America  of  the  Jesuits  Driven  Out  of  Europe — Across  the  "  Bad  Lands" 
—The  Poncas— Father  De  Smet  with  the  Sioux— The  "Scalp  Dance" 
— The  Daughter  of  Red  Fish— Plans  for  a  New  Mission      ....  202 

CHAPTER  XIII 

FATHER  DE   SMET,   ASSISTANT  TO  THE  VICE-PROVINCIAL  AND 
PROCURATOR    GENERAL    OF    MISSOURI    (1849) 

Father  Van  de  Velde,  Appointed  Bishop  of  Chicago,  is  Replaced  by 
Father  De  Smet— The  Missouri  Vice-Province  in  1849— Father  De 
Smet  Socius— His  Firmness— His  Goodness— History  of  Watomika— 
Father  De  Smet's  Attachment  to  the  Kansas  Missions— St.  Mary's 
Mission  to  the  Potawatomies— Fathers  C.  Hoecken,  Duerinck,  etc.— 
St.  Francis  Hieronymo's  Mission  to  the  Osages— Fathers  Schoenmakers 
and  Bax— A  New  Apostolic  Vicariate— Bishop  Miege— Father  De 
Smet  as  Procurator— His  Capable  Administration— His  Efforts  to 
Obtain  Money — Providence  Comes  to  His  Aid— Gratitude  to  Bene- 
factors—"A  Year  of  Accidents  "—Father  De  Smet  during  the  Cholera 
and  the  Great  Fire— St.  Louis  University  Saved  through  the  Inter- 
cession of  the  Blessed  Virgin 2I3 

CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  FORT  LARAMIE  COUNCIL  (1851) 

Discovery  of  Gold  in  California— The  White  Invasion— The  American 
Government  Invites  the  Tribes  to  a  Conference  in  which  Fathers  De 


CONTENTS  vii 

Smet  and  C.Hoecken  are  to  Take  Part — Cholera  on  Board  the  St.Ange 
— Father  De  Smet's  Serious  Illness — Father  Hoecken's  Death — His 
Health  Hardly  Reestablished,  Father  De  Smet  Visits  the  Indians 
during  an  Epidemic  of  Smallpox — A  Journey  across  the  Wilderness — 
The  Highway  to  the  Pacific — The  Great  Council — Points  Submitted 
for  Deliberation — Father  De  Smet's  Successful  Efforts — An  Era  of 
Peace  for  the  Redskins — Return  to  St.  Louis — Visit  to  St.  Mary's 
Mission 229 

CHAPTER   XV 

THE  YEARS  OF  TRIAL  (1848-1855) 
Father  De  Smet  Ardently  Desires  to  Again  Take  Up  His  Mission  Work— 
The  Indians  Petition  Him  to  Come  to  Them— The  Father  General  Dis- 
approves of  His  Project — What  Could  Have  Happened? — Complaints 
Made  Against  Father  De  Smet  by  Some  of  His  Assistants— His  Reply — 
New  Complaints — Again  Father  De  Smet  is  Justified — The  Flathead 
Mission  Must  Be  Abandoned— The  Father  General  Renders  Justice  to 
Father  De  Smet's  Zeal  and  Sincerity,  but  Does  Not  Deem  It  Prudent 
to  Open  New  Missions — The  Missionary's  Work  Must  Stand  the 
Test  of  Time — How  it  is  Judged  Fifty  Years  Later— Death  of  Father 
Elet,  Madam  Duchesne,  and  Father  Roothaan— "  Why,  My  Soul, 
Would  You  Escape  the  Cross?"— Father  De  Smet's  Superiors  Think 
of  Sending  Him  to  Reside  Permanently  in  One  of  the  European  Prov- 
inces—His Letter  to  the  Holland  Provincial — He  is  Left  in  St.  Louis — 
He  Pronounces  His  Solemn  Vows— His  Courageous  Obedience  Wins 
for  Him  New  and  Greater  Successes 239 

CHAPTER   XVI 

progress  made  by  catholicism  in  the  united  states 

father   de   smet's   apostolate   in   st.    louis the 

"know-nothings"   (1849-1858) 

Extraordinary  Growth  of  Colonization — Progress  of  Catholicism — The 
First  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore — The  Oxford  Movement  and  Its 
Effect  in  America — Eccleston,  Brownson,  Hecker — Success  of  the 
Jesuits  in  St.  Louis— Fathers  Smarius,  Damen,  Weninger— Father 
De  Smet's  Apostolate— The  Emigrants— His  Former  Traveling  Com- 
panions— St.  Anne's  Church — The  Direction  of  Souls— Protestant 
Conversions — The  Conversion  of  Randolph  Benton — Attacks  from 
Enemies  of  the  Church— Boernstein,  Kossuth,  Lola  Montez— The 
"Know-Nothings" — Attack  upon  Archbishop  Bedini — "There  is  No 
Other  Country  in  the  World  where  Honest  Men  Enjoy  so  Little  Liberty" 
—The  Jesuits  are  Not  Spared— Fathers  Bapst  and  Nachon— End  of 
the  Agitation  which  Served  but  to  Strengthen  Catholicism— Father 
De  Smet  is  Again  Spoken  of  for  the  Episcopate— "  My  Heart  is  Always 
with  the  Indians  " 253 

CHAPTER   XVII 

EXPEDITION      AGAINST     THE      MORMONS PACIFICATION      OF 

OREGON CONDITION    OF    THE    MISSIONS    (1858-1859) 

Father  De    Smet  is  Authorized  by  the  Father  General  to  Return  to  the 
Missions— The  Government   Sends  Troops  Against  the   Mormons— 


viii  CONTENTS 

Father  De  Smet  is  Appointed  Chaplain  of  the  Troops — The  Oregon 
Missions  Prosper — Testimony  of  Protestants — The  Arrival  of  the 
Whites  in  the  Far  West — Their  Treatment  of  the  Indians — The  Missions 
are  in  Danger — St.  Paul's  at  Fort  Colville  Must  Be  Abandoned  for  a 
Time — The  Uprising  of  the  Tribes — Colonel  Steptoe's  Defeat — General 
Harney,  Sent  to  Subdue  Oregon,  Asks  Father  De  Smet  to  Mediate — 
Colonel  Wright's  Victory — Indians  Conquered,  but  Not  Reconciled — 
Father  De  Smet  Visits  the  Cceur  d'Alenes  and  afterward  the  Other 
Tribes — The  Chiefs  Accompany  Him  to  Vancouver  to  Sign  the  Peace 
Treaty — He  Sees  Signs  of  New  Uprisings — General  Harney  Informs 
the  Secretary  of  War  of  the  Plan  of  Father  De  Smet — Captain  Pleason- 
ton's  Letter — State  of  the  "Reductions" — Father  Hoecken  Founds  St. 
Peter's  Mission  for  the  Blackfeet — Father  De  Smet  Returns  to  St.  Louis 
— He  Has  Traveled  Fifteen  Thousand  Miles  in  One  Year    ....  268 

CHAPTER  XVIII 

FAMILY   INTERCOURSE JOURNEYS    TO    EUROPE    (1853-1860) 

"  The  Rule  of  St.  Ignatius  Does  Not  Forbid  Us  to  Love  Our  Family  " — 
Father  De  Smet's  Devotion  to  His  Family — He  Shared  in  All  Their  Joys 
and  Sorrows — Even  His  Letters  Are  an  Apostolate — His  Many  Journeys 
in  Belgium — Death  of  His  Brother  Charles — Father  De  Smet's  Con- 
ferences— His  Timidity — His  Tales — Impressions  of  a  Belgian  Semin- 
arian—  Scenes  on  Board  the  Humboldt  —  Shipwreck — A  Sunrise  at 
Sea — The  Missionary  Receives  an  Ovation  upon  His  Return  to  St. 
Louis 286 

CHAPTER  XIX 

THE    WAR    OF    SECESSION    (1861-1S65) 

Civil  War  in  the  United  States — The  Battle  of  Bull  Run — Anarchy  in 
Missouri — Father  De  Smet's  Trials — Father  De  Smet  Secures  a  Subsidy 
for  the  Indian  Schools — Obtains  Military  Exemption  for  the  Jesuits 
— His  Intercourse  with  Lincoln — A  Dinner  at  the  Belgian  Legation — Pub- 
lication of  the  "Western  Missions  and  Missionaries"  and  the  "New 
Indian  Sketches" — It  is  Said  that  Father  De  Smet  Did  Not  Write  the 
"Letters" — He  Addresses  a  Protest  to  the  German  Provincial — The 
Sisters  of  St.  Mary  in  America — The  War  Ends — Jesuit  Chaplains — 
Missions  Given  in  the  Large  Cities — "The  Church  of  These  Fathers 
Must  Be  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ" — The  Oath  Required  by  the 
State  of  Missouri — Catholicism  Makes  Great  Progress 299 

CHAPTER  XX 

A   TOUR    OF    THE    MISSIONS    (1862-1863) 

The  Needs  of  the  Missions — Father  De  Smet  Sends  Yearly  Assistance  to 
the  Oregon  Missions — The  Journey  in  1862 — St.  Peter's  Mission — 
The  Journey  in  1863 — "This  Is  the  Black  Robe  Who  Saved  My  Sister" 
— Triumphal  Journey  through  Oregon — The  Fervor  of  the  Cceur 
d'Alenes — Sad  Forebodings — Return  Journey  by  California,  Panama, 
and  New  York— The  Lost  Returns— Father  De  Smet's  Illness— 
His   Friends  are  Dying  One  by  One — "I  Have  an  Inner  Conviction 


CONTENTS  ix 

that  My  End   is  Approaching.     Fiat  voluntas  Dei!  " — Restoration  to 
Health 309 

CHAPTER   XXI 

THE    REVOLT    OF    THE    SIOUX FATHER  DE  SMET'S  JOURNEY 

OF    PACIFICATION    (1864) 

Initial  Troubles  between  the  Whites  and  the  Indians — War  against  the 
Redskins — Discovery  of  Gold  Mines  Long  Known  to  Father  De  Smet — 
The  Reservations — One  Hundred  Thousand  Indians  Disappear  within 
Ten  Years — The  Uprising  of  the  Sioux  Tribes — The  Minnesota  Mas- 
sacre— Generals  Sibley  and  Sully  are  Sent  to  Subdue  the  Rebels — 
Father  De  Smet's  Journey — He  Goes  Up  the  Missouri  as  Far  as  Fort 
Berthold — The  Grosventres,  Aricaras,  and  Mandans — Conference  with 
the  Sioux — They  Accept  Terms  of  Peace — General  Sully's  Mistake — 
Father  De  Smet  Returns  to  St.  Louis 318 

CHAPTER    XXII 

SEVENTH    JOURNEY    TO     EUROPE — LAST    JOURNEY    TO     THE 
MOUNTAINS    (1865-1866) 

A  Bad  Crossing — Father  De  Smet  Assists  in  Rome  at  the  Beatification 
of  Blessed  Peter  Canisius — Charles  Rogier  Manifests  His  Regard  for 
Father  De  Smet — He  is  Made  a  Knight  of  the  Order  of  Leopold — Fare- 
well to  Belgium — Father  De  Smet  Declines  a  Third  Time  the  Honor 
of  the  Episcopate — He  Goes  Up  the  Missouri  as  Far  as  Fort  Benton 
— He  Confers  Baptism  on  Hundreds  of  Children — The  Yanktons — 
Pananniapapi 331 

CHAPTER  XXIII 

SECOND    JOURNEY    OF     PACIFICATION    (1867) 

Age  of  Infirmities — The  Whites  Continue  to  Harass  the  Indians — The 
Massacre  of  Six  Hundred  Cheyennes — The  Insurrection  Spreads — 
Father  De  Smet  is  Sent  upon  a  New  Mission — A  Journey  through 
Iowa — "Major  De  Smet" — Generals  Sully  and  Parker  Join  the  Mis- 
sionary— Conference  with  the  Indians  on  the  Borders  of  the  Missouri — 
Iron  Shield's  Discourse — Father  De  Smet  Pacifies  the  Tribes — 
Father  De  Smet  Wishes  to  Meet  the  Tribes  of  the  Interior — Fatigue 
Compels  Him  to  Return  to  St.  Louis 338 

CHAPTER   XXIV 

SITTING    BULL'S    CAMP    (1868) 

A  Commission  of  Five  Generals  is  Sent  by  the  Government  to  Subdue 
the  Indians — The  Commission  Asks  Father  De  Smet  to  Intervene — 
Conference  with  the  Indians  on  the  Shores  of  the  Platte — Father  De 
Smet's  Offer  to  Go  to  the  Hostile  Bands — En  Route  for  the  Hunkpapas' 
Camp— Father  De  Smet  is  Received  by  Sitting  Bull — The  Great 
Council — Father   De    Smet's    Discourse — Black   Moon's   Reply — The 


x  CONTENTS 

Banner  of  Peace  —  The  Hunkpapas'  Deputies  Accompany  Father 
De  Smet  to  Fort  Rice — The  Complete  Success  of  the  Conference — 
Generals  Harney,  Sanborn,  and  Terry  Express  Their  Gratitude  and 
Appreciation  to  Father  De  Smet 347 

CHAPTER  XXV 

FATHER  DE  SMET'S  LAST  LABORS — GRANT'S  PEACE  POLICY 

(1869-1872) 

Father  De  Smet's  Eighth  Visit  to  Belgium — Two  Journeys  Made  in  the 
Autumn — Project  to  Found  a  Mission  on  the  Upper  Missouri — Indian 
Peace  Policy — Father  De  Smet  is  Given  the  Right  to  Appoint  Catholic 
Agents — Nearly  All  the  Agencies  are  Given  to  Protestant  Function- 
aries— Injustice  Done  to  the  Catholic  Indians — Father  De  Smet's 
Unsuccessful  Efforts — He  Resigns — Courageous  Fidelity  of  the  Catholic 
Indians — "Give  Me  the  Value  of  My  Soul" — Fervor  of  the  Cceur 
d'Alenes — Letter  to  the  Sovereign  Pontiff — Reply  of  Pius  IX.    .     .     .  359 

CHAPTER  XXVI 

FATHER  DE  SMET'S   LAST  VOYAGE   TO   EUROPE HIS  RETREAT 

IN  ST.   LOUIS — HIS  RELIGIOUS  VIRTUES HIS  DEATH 

(1872-1873) 

Father  De  Smet's  Serious  Illness  in  Brussels — He  Thinks  of  Living  in 
Belgium  and  Opening  a  School  There  for  Apostolic  Work — His  Jubilee 
as  a  Jesuit — His  Retreat — New  Edition  of  the  "Letters" — He  Begins 
the  History  of  the  Origin  of  the  Missouri  Province — Father  De  Smet's 
Intercourse  with  His  Fellow-Jesuits — He  is  Esteemed  by  Outsiders — 
Dr.  Linton— The  "Linton  Album" — The  Missionary  Traveled  Nearly 
261,000  Miles— Father  De  Smet's  Spirit  of  Faith — His  Love  of  the 
Religious  Life — How  He  Practiced  Poverty  and  Obedience — His 
Piety — His  Devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  St.  Anthony,  the  Souls  in 
Purgatory — Last  Illness — Farewell  to  the  Indians — His  Last  Letter 
to  His  Family— His  Death— His  Funeral— Bishop  Ryan's  Panegyric— 
The  Grief  of  the  Indians— How  Father  De  Smet's  Work  Lives  After 
Him 372 

Index 393 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

P.   J.    DE   SMET,    S.J Frontispiece 

Father  De  Smet,  Apostle  of  the  Rockies     ....  Facing  p.  102 

Mass  in  the  Wilderness — Preaching  to  the  Sioux   .  208 

Father  De  Smet  Riding  with  the  Indians  ....  "  274 
Council  with  the  Hostile  Sioux  on  the  Yellowstone 

River 35° 

The  Statue  Erected  in  Honor  of  Father  De  Smet  at 

Termonde,  His  Birthplace 384 


INTRODUCTION 

ONE  of  the  brightest  glories  of  the  Catholic  Church 
shines  forth  in  the  zeal  she  has  ever  displayed  for  the 
propagation  of  the  Gospel.  From  the  time  when  Christ 
said  to  His  Apostles:  "Go  ye  into  the  whole  world  and 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature,"  they  and  their  suc- 
cessors, the  missionaries  of  every  age,  have  bravely  carried 
on  the  sacred  task  entrusted  to  them,  without  any  inter- 
ruption whatsoever ;  and  they  are  seen  to-day  as  they  have 
been  seen  all  along,  in  every  known  portion  of  the  earth, 
extending  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  preparing  number- 
less souls  for  the  enjoyment  of  heavenly  bliss. 

In  the  United  States  in  particular  the  Church  has  nobly 
performed  this  divine  mission.  She  has  sent  her  heroic 
sons,  bishops  and  priests,  in  large  numbers  to  every  tribe 
of  the  aboriginal  population,  baptizing,  teaching,  and  civil- 
izing its  scattered  millions,  successful  in  converting  and 
sanctifying  large  portions  of  them,  notwithstanding  the 
active  opposition  of  false  religionists. 

Many  of  the  most  glowing  pages  of  the  great  Protestant 
historian  of  the  United  States,  George  Bancroft,  contain 
magnificent  descriptions  of  Ahe  devoted  labors  of  our 
Catholic  missionaries,  whose  wonderful  exploits  he  narrates 
with  all  the  brilliancy  and  interest  which  attach  to  the 
writings  of  Prescott  in  his  records  of  the  Conquest  of 
Mexico  by  Hernando  Cortez.  But  every  Christian  feels, 
while  reading  such  works,  how  far  the  sacred  purpose  and 
the  self-sacrifice  of  the  missionaries  among  the  Indians 
surpass  in  nobility  the  dauntless  courage  of  the  steel-clad 
warriors. 

It  is  gratifying  to  see  that  the  learned  world,  even  out- 
side of  the  Catholic  Church,  has  shown  a  high  appreciation 
of  the  gigantic  labors  of  our  missionaries,  as  is  evidenced 
by  the  publication  in  this  country  of  a  most  expensive 


xiv  INTRODUCTION 

work,  in  seventy-three  large  octavo  volumes,  styled  "The 
Jesuit  Relations  and  Allied  Documents,"  edited  by  Reuben 
Gold  Thwaites.  But,  though  this  valuable  collection  is 
found  on  the  shelves  of  nearly  all  the  great  libraries  in  the 
United  States,  its  volumes  are  not  frequently  seen  in  the 
hands  of  the  general  reader,  Catholic  or  Protestant.  To 
enlighten  him  on  the  grandeur  of  our  missions  and  mis- 
sionaries, we  need  briefer  and  more  popular  works,  which, 
while  conveying  the  same  information,  afford  more  im- 
pressive and  interesting  reading,  and  communicate  de- 
sirable knowledge  in  the  charming  language  of  lighter 
literature. 

That  is  the  secret  of  the  popularity  of  a  Prescott  in  his 
volumes  on  Mexico  and  Peru,  and  of  a  Washington  Irving 
in  his  lives  of  Washington  and  Columbus.  The  same  is  an 
attractive  quality  of  the  life  of  Father  De  Smet,  by  Father  E. 
Laveille,  S.  J.,  of  which  the  present  volume  is  a  translation. 

The  French  original  was  received  in  Belgium  and 
France  with  marked  enthusiasm.  In  three  months  the 
first  edition  was  exhausted.  The  Belgian  Messenger  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  said  of  it:  "In  the  history  of  the  Catholic 
apostolate  few  careers  have  been  so  glorious  as  that  of  the 
Reverend  Father  De  Smet.  We  rejoice  that  the  author 
has  given  us  a  clear,  definite  history  of  the  man  and  his 
work."  The  French  journal  La  Croix  stated:  "The  life  of 
Father  De  Smet  reads  like  a  novel,  but  one  so  realistic,  so 
thrilling  with  interest,  that  you  cannot  tear  yourself  away 
from  it." 

The  appreciation  of  the  book  by  Le  Bien  Public  calls  for  a 
more  extended  quotation.  It  says:  "From  the  moment 
that  you  have  cut  its  first  pages  you  will  not  lay  it  aside 
until  you  have  read  the  whole  volume.  And  all  along  his 
career  you  will  follow  the  hero,  the  apostle  of  the  Rocky- 
Mountains,  with  a  passionate  interest,  with  an  ever- 
growing admiration,  as  when  Fenimore  Cooper,  Mayne 
Reid,  and  Daniel  Defoe  first  charmed  your  youthful 
imagination.  Especially,  this  reading  will  strengthen 
your  faith  and  your  hope;  it  will  show  you  in  its  divine 
splendor  the  civilizing  influence  of  religion,  transforming 
by  a  miracle  of  grace  savage  natures  and  raising  up  saints 
among  them. " 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

But  it  is  not  only  in  Father  De  Smet's  native  country  that 
this  book  has  been  received  with  warm  approbation.  Our 
own  able  paper,  America,  has  noticed  its  appearance  in 
these  terms:  "The  work  seems  to  have  been  carefully 
and  lovingly  done.  There  is  a  frank  enthusiasm  and 
sympathy  in  the  narrative  which  carry  the  reader  on  with 
growing  interest;  and  the  citations  from  letters  and  docu- 
ments are  very  well  chosen  out  of  such  a  wealth  of  matter 
as  lay  at  the  biographer's  command.  His  treatment 
seems  full  and  candid,  and  he  has  been  at  pains  to  gather 
matter  not  only  from  the  published  sources,  but  from  un- 
published sources  and  manuscripts  as  well." 

What  has  added  much  to  the  interest  of  the  story  and  the 
reliability  of  the  events  narrated  is  the  fact  that  the 
author  had  at  his  disposal  a  vast  amount  of  material  to 
select  from.  There  is  probably  not  a  single  one,  among  the 
numerous  holy  and  able  men  whose  names  grace  the  annals 
of  the  American  missions,  on  whose  labors  such  copious  in- 
formation exists  as  on  those  of  the  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy. In  particular  I  may  mention  that  most  remarkable 
work  in  which  two  Protestant  gentlemen,  Messrs.  Hiram 
Martin  Chittenden,  Major,  Corps  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A., 
and  Alfred  Talbot  Richardson,  struck  by  the  extraordinary 
greatness  of  Father  De  Smet's  achievements,  have  rilled 
four  large  volumes  with  accounts  drawn  from  the  original 
sources  of  his  life,  letters,  and  extensive  travels. 

Still  the  book  of  Father  Laveille  is  far  from  being  a  mere 
abridgment  of  even  so  rich  a  collection  of  original  docu- 
ments; it  is  an  artistically  written  biography,  making  us 
familiar  with  the  special  traits  of  his  hero's  exalted  char- 
acter and  his  tenderly  human  personality,  and  at  the  same 
time  citing  authentic  documents  for  every  important 
statement,  as  will  appear  to  every  reader  of  this  volume. 
A  scion  of  that  sturdy  Belgic  race,  the  records  of  whose 
bravery  go  back  to  the  Commentaries  of  Caesar,  Father 
De  Smet  proved  himself  in  every  way  worthy  of  his  noble 
ancestry,  and  by  his  extraordinary  achievements  added 
further  glory  to  his  country.  In  recognition  of  this 
the  prime  minister  of  Belgium,  Charles  Rogier,  in 
1865  conferred  on  him  the  cross  of  a  Knight  of  the 
Order    of    Leopold ;    and    his    fellow  -  citizens,    since    his 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

death,  have  erected  a  statue  to  his  honor  in  his  native 
town  of  Termonde. 

From  his  boyhood  the  future  missionary  gave  signs  of 
remarkable  endowments.  His  bodily  strength  and  his 
youthful  daring  gained  for  him  among  his  playmates  the 
sobriquet  of  Samson.  Among  those  who  had  known  him 
in  his  prime  there  was  a  tradition  to  the  effect  that,  when 
at  the  age  of  twenty  he  was  about  to  embark  for  America, 
and  a  bosom  friend  asked  him  for  a  memento,  he  took  a 
copper  coin  out  of  his  pocket,  and  biting  it  in  two,  handed 
him  one  half,  as  a  characteristic  remembrance  of  his 
herculean  chum. 

At  that  time  young  De  Smet  and  eight  companions,  all 
aspirants  to  the  missionary  career,  were  leaving  their 
native  land  without  the  permission  of  their  parents; 
as  the  Holy  Child  Jesus  had  left  His  Blessed  Mother  and 
St.  Joseph  to  be  about  His  heavenly  Father's  business. 
Their  reason  was  that  they  had  no  doubt  of  their  holy 
vocation,  and  they  well  knew  that  permission  to  follow  it 
would  have  been  refused;  their  future  flight  would  have 
become  impossible  once  their  parents  had  learned  of  their 
design.  They  felt  convinced,  besides,  that  the  plan,  when 
successfully  executed,  would  bring  a  holy  pride  to  the 
members  of  their  pious  families. 

Shortly  after  they  had  reached  the  Jesuit  novitiate  in 
Maryland,  an  earnest  request  of  Mgr.  Rosati,  then  Bishop 
of  Louisiana,  arrived  there,  asking  for  several  Jesuits  to 
come  and  work  in  his  extensive  Western  diocese.  Two 
Fathers  were  given  him,  together  with  some  of  the  young 
men  who  had  lately  come  from  Europe,  Peter  De  Smet 
among  them,  who  were  to  go  and  establish  a  new  novitiate 
in  the  Far  West.  They  were  delighted  with  the  prospect 
of  thus  coming  into  the  closer  vicinity  of  the  Indian  tribes, 
among  which  they  eagerly  desired  to  spend  their  zealous 
lives.  They  traversed  the  country,  mostly  on  foot,  for  a 
distance  of  some  fifteen  hundred  miles,  till  they  came  to  the 
little  town  of  Florissant,  near  the  confluence  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  the  Missouri  rivers.  There  in  a  couple  of  log 
huts  they  established  the  new  novitiate,  a  center  of  future 
Jesuit  activity  for  the  Western  States. 

They  felled  the  trees  of  the  forest  primeval — a  welcome 


INTRODUCTION  xvii 

task  to  the  sturdy  young  Belgians — and  in  a  few  months 
built  a  solid  edifice.  But  it  was  done  amid  the  pangs  of 
poverty  and  all  manner  of  privations.  There,  on  October 
10,  1823,  the  six  novices  were  allowed  to  pronounce  their 
first  religious  vows,  and  make  their  consecration  to  the 
Lord  lifelong  and  irrevocable.  From  that  humble  be- 
ginning has  grown  up  the  Jesuit  Province  of  Missouri, 
which  counts  to-day  397  priests,  306  scholastics,  174  lay 
Brothers,  a  total  of  877  members.  Very  soon  a  school 
was  opened  for  Indian  boys,  with  seven  or  eight  tribes 
represented  among  its  pupils.  While  teaching  these,  the 
young  religious  pursued  their  philosophical  and  theological 
studies;  and  on  September  23,  1827,  the  holy  priesthood 
was  conferred  on  Peter  John  De  Smet  and  some  of  his 
companions. 

Then  his  missionary  work  began  in  right  earnest,  to  be 
continued  during  forty-three  years.  The  graphic  account 
of  these  labors  is  given  in  the  present  volume.  Here  we 
read  of  numerous  visits  to  Indian  tribes  and  the  fruitful 
work  done  among  them;  of  the  missionary's  travels  in 
unexplored  regions  of  our  continent;  of  his  voyages  to  and 
from  Europe;  of  his  exertions  in  favor  of  the  Indians  with 
the  Government  and  with  army  officials  of  the  United 
States;  and  of  the  services  he  rendered  to  the  adminis- 
tration at  Washington  by  aiding  it  to  secure  treaties  of 
peace  with  the  outraged  savages.  He  traversed  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  in  the  course  of  his  missionary  labors  as 
many  as  nineteen  times,  and  traveled  by  land,  it  is  said, 
over  87,000  leagues,  mostly  before  railroads  had  been  mul- 
tiplied in  America,  while  large  portions  of  the  regions  he 
chiefly  frequented  were  pathless  forests  or  deserts.  The 
little  band  at  Florissant  had  received  a  number  of  acces- 
sions, some  very  talented  men,  when,  in  1828,  they  under- 
took, at  the  earnest  request  of  Bishop  Rosati,  to  establish 
a  college  at  St.  Louis.  It  opened  with  forty  boys,  boarders 
and  day  scholars;  and  four  years  later  there  were  150 
students,  a  large  proportion  of  whom  were  Protestants. 
Father  De  Smet  was  treasurer,  disciplinarian,  and  Pro- 
fessor of  English.     The  college  soon  became  a  University. 

The  rapid  expansion  of  Jesuit  enterprise,  which  had  then 
fairly  begun,  required  liberal  supplies  of  money  and  of  new 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

recruits;  and  Father  De  Smet  was  the  man  in  the  hands  of 
Providence  to  procure  both.  This  was  the  purpose  of  his 
frequent  voyages  to  Europe.  Each  time  he  secured  a 
number  of  candidates  for  the  Society  of  Jesus,  in  various 
colleges  and  seminaries  of  Belgium  and  Holland,  where  his 
name  was  held  in  deepest  veneration.  One  of  his  asso- 
ciates in  St.  Louis  University  has  commented  on  these 
European  travels  as  follows:  "It  is  true  that,  in  common 
with  his  companions,  he  lent  his  robust  frame  and  gigantic 
strength  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the  Society  in  the  West. 
But  he  built  up  his  Province  much  more  efficiently  by  the 
resources  and  the  members  that  he  procured  for  it  on  the 
other  side  of  the  waters.  When  he  pleaded  in  his  native 
Flanders  on  behalf  of  the  Indian  missions,  or  of  the  growing 
Church  in  the  New  World,  he  was  certain  to  meet  with  a 
favorable  hearing.  The  wealthy  opened  their  purses  to 
contribute  from  their  abundance,  and  the  fervid  youths 
in  the  colleges  and  seminaries  listened  with  burning  cheek 
and  throbbing  heart,  until  they  had  resolved  to  follow 
him  and  to  spend  themselves  in  the  service  of  the  Church 
among  the  Indians  or  among  the  equally  destitute  whites 
beyond  the  sea. 

"It  was  thus  that  in  the  beginning  we  received  so  large 
an  influx  of  those  sturdy  Flemings,  whose  panegyric  St. 
Francis  Xavier  himself  has  left  written.  Strong  and 
muscular  in  body,  frank  and  open  in  character,  ready  to 
accommodate  themselves  to  the  customs  of  their  adopted 
country,  remarkable  for  their  practical  good  sense  and 
gifted  with  more  than  ordinary  facility  for  acquiring  a 
knowledge  of  English,  they  formed  in  those  early  days 
the  thews  and  sinews,  the  bone  and  marrow,  of  the  Missouri 
Province." 

Further  on  the  same  authority  adds:  "Father  De  Smet 
rendered  no  less  important  services  to  his  Province  and  to 
the  whole  Society  in  this  country  by  bringing  it  prominently 
and  favorably  before  the  public.  His  merits  were  un- 
questionably of  a  superior  order,  and  everywhere  inspired 
admiration  and  respect,  as  well  among  Americans  as 
among  Europeans.  With  the  prestige  of  a  great  name,  with 
a  presence  that  was  imposing  in  his  prime  and  venerable 
in  his  declining  years,  with  an  artless  simplicity  united  to  a 


INTRODUCTION  xix 

dignity  of  bearing  which  always  maintained  the  respect 
due  to  the  priestly  character,  with  winsome  manners  and 
great  conversational  powers, he  was  at  home  in  every  circle. 
When  he  wished,  he  soon  commanded  the  interest  and  at- 
tention of  the  company  and  became  the  center  of  attrac- 
tion. His  hearers  were  won  by  the  charm  that  he  could 
throw  around  the  simplest  anecdotes  of  his  missionary 
tours,  and  listened  for  hours  at  a  time,  not  from  mere 
deference  for  his  person,  but  from  genuine  appreciation  of 
his  recital. 

"Yet  it  was  chiefly  his  extensive  correspondence  and 
other  written  papers  that  showed  his  rare  talent  for  narra- 
tion and  description.  Though  most  of  them  seem  to  have 
been  intended  for  private  communication,  and  written  on 
the  spur  of  the  moment,  they  are  deservedly  admired  by 
all  judicious  critics,  and  form  no  inconsiderable  addition 
to  the  literature  of  the  day.  His  published  writings  treat  of 
the  missions  and  their  wants,  the  Church  and  its  actual 
standing,  the  zealous  lives  and  edifying  deaths  of  many  of 
our  members;  and  a  great  variety  of  other  subjects  bearing 
upon  the  interests  of  religion.  Among  his  manuscripts 
are  literary  Albums,  highly  appreciated  by  those  who 
have  ever  glanced  at  them,  as  well  as  biographical  sketches 
of  our  departed  Fathers  and  Brothers,  creditable  alike 
to  the  virtue  of  the  deceased  and  to  the  assiduous  devoted- 
ness  of  the  compiler,  who  spent  his  leisure  moments  in  col- 
lecting materials  for  the  edification  of  future  generations. 

"All  his  writings  are  remarkable  for  an  ease  and  naivete 
highly  in  keeping  with  his  own  character.  Many  of  them 
display  an  uncommon  amount  of  information  that  could 
scarcely  have  been  acquired  except  by  personal  observation, 
and  reveal  to  the  unbiased  reader  the  secret  activity  and 
energy  of  his  mind.  Much  as  he  himself  traveled,  his 
writings  have  traveled  still  more,  and  have  kindled  in 
many  a  generous  soul  the  love  of  a  religious  life.  Even 
boys  are  fascinated  by  the  romance  of  his  Indian  tales, 
and  feel  a  sort  of  unaccountable  attraction  for  the  exploits 
of  a  missionary  life,  not  unlike  that  usually  awakened  in 
them  by  books  of  adventure. 

"These  literary  labors,  added  to  his  reputation,  obtained 
for  him  an  immense  and  influential  circle  of  acquaintances. 


xx  INTRODUCTION 

The  learned  and  the  wealthy,  the  politician  and  the 
statesman,  courted  his  friendship  and  bowed  before  him  as 
before  a  superior." 

But  the  principal  charm  of  the  volume  here  presented  to 
the  reader  lies  in  the  graphic  sketches  of  the  missionary's 
travels  and  labors  among  the  Indians.  Of  these  it  would 
be  vain  to  attempt  a  general  outline.  Their  beauties 
sparkle  on  every  page;  the  whole  book  must  be  read  to 
realize  the  magnificence  of  the  scenery  described,  the 
grandeur  of  the  achievements  performed,  the  aroma  of  the 
virtues  practiced  and  the  noble  sentiments  exhibited,  not 
only  by  the  missionary  himself  and  his  heroic  associates, 
but  also  by  many  of  the  red-skinned  warriors  and  their 
wives  and  children,  when  once  their  wild  natures  had  been 
subdued  by  the  gospel  of  peace  and  their  souls  sanctified 
by  the  waters  of  baptism. 

Father  De  Smet  loved  his  Indians  warmly,  not  only 
because  so  good  a  man  necessarily  pitied  their  benighted 
condition  and  longed  to  make  them  children  of  God,  but 
also  because  he  found  in  large  numbers  of  them  truly  noble 
characters,  as  unselfish  and  sincere  and  faithful  to  their 
friends  as  they  were  brave  and  fearless  in  battle.  He 
found  them  also  hospitable  to  strangers,  and  compassionate 
to  all  unfortunates  who  were  not  their  traditional  enemies. 
They  were  far  less  savage,  he  used  to  say,  than  those 
whites  who,  in  trading  with  them,  would  cheat  them  out 
of  their  furs  and  horses,  and  give  them  trifles  or  fire- 
water in  exchange. 

The  Indians,  on  their  part,  revered  and  warmly  loved  the 
Black  Robe — Father  De  Smet  and  any  of  his  associates — 
in  whom  they  knew  they  could  always  confide.  He,  as 
they  often  expressed  it,  was  the  only  white  man  that  did 
not  speak  with  a  forked  tongue. 

That  was  the  reason  why  they  trusted  him  as  mediator 
between  them  and  the  civil  and  military  authorities  of  the 
United  States.  Thus  he  succeeded  on  various  occasions 
in  preventing  a  bloody  revenge  on  their  part,  when  they 
had  been  grievously  wronged,  and  in  obtaining  from  the 
supreme  Government  a  proper  protection  for  their  rights. 
It  cruelly  tore  his  heart  when,  notwithstanding  all  his 
efforts  to  protect  the  red  men,  he  saw  them,  as  he  often 


INTRODUCTION  xxi 

did,  grievously  outraged  in  their  dearest  interests;  as  when 
whole  tribes,  evangelized  for  many  years  by  Catholic 
missionaries  and  partly  converted  to  the  Faith,  were 
arbitrarily  handed  over  by  the  Government  to  the  care  of 
some  Protestant  sects.  Another  sad  disappointment  would 
come  to  him  and  to  his  fellow-laborers  when,  as  hap- 
pened in  1850  at  the  Flathead  mission,  the  Indians  them- 
selves would  rebel  against  God,  and  plunge  into  terrible 
excesses  of  drunkenness  and  bloodshed,  thus  undoing  in  a 
few  days  all  the  success  achieved  by  many  years  of  devoted 
labors. 

So  great  a  work  as  that  carried  on  by  so  many  mission- 
aries of  the  regular  and  secular  clergy  in  the  United  States, 
was,  of  course,  exposed  to  painful  reverses,  sometimes  of  an 
almost  discouraging  kind;  but  the  successes  obtained  im- 
mensely surpassed  the  disappointments.  Besides  the 
countless  souls  saved  and  sanctified  among  the  Indians, 
large  numbers  of  the  former  missions  have  since  developed 
into  flourishing  parishes  and  even  dioceses,  the  whites 
gradually  replacing  the  ever-retiring  sons  of  the  wilderness. 
We  may  mention  here  one  among  many  examples. 

The  Jesuit  Fathers  had  settled  the  tribe  of  the  Potawa- 
tomies  at  the  mission  of  St.  Mary's,  Kansas.  Instead  of 
the  few  scattered  log  huts  of  the  early  settlement,  one  sees 
there  now  some  eight  or  ten  large  college  buildings  of 
solid  rock  and  brick;  instead  of  the  frame  chapel,  there  is 
now  a  large  brick  parish  church  in  the  town  close  by, 
and  there  is  the  elegant  stone  chapel,  the  Immaculata,  for 
the  college  students.  The  rough  prairie  grass  has  made 
room  for  smooth  lawns  and  bright  beds  of  flowers,  set 
with  evergreen  trees  and  adorned  with  statuary.  One  of 
the  students'  dormitories,  the  Loyola  Hall,  contains  one 
hundred  and  fifty-six  private  rooms.  In  these  not  only  are 
lodged  boys  and  young  men  from  many  States  in  the 
Union  during  the  school  year,  but  during  the  summer 
vacations  there  assemble  in  them  priests  and  laymen  to 
sanctify  themselves  in  the  Spiritual  Exercises  of  St.  Ignatius. 
Thus  the  modest  Indian  mission  of  former  times  has  be- 
come a  beacon -light  of  religion,  literature,  science,  and 
civilization  generally  for  all  the  Middle  West  of  the  United 
States. 


xxii  INTRODUCTION 

Nor  is  it  forgotten  at  such  places  that  the  seed  of  this 
rich  harvest  was  first  sown  by  Father  De  Smet  and  his 
brethren.  Thus  St.  Mary's,  Kansas,  on  the  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  its  foundation,  held  a  solemn  celebration  in 
commemoration  of  the  event;  and,  in  August,  191 5, 
the  mission  among  the  Sioux  Indians  of  South  Dakota 
solemnized  the  seventy-fifth  anniversary  of  the  arrival  of 
Father  De  Smet  in  that  region  by  a  numerous  and  enthu- 
siastic session  of  an  Indian  Congress. 

Charles  Coppens,  S.  J. 


THE    LIFE    OF 
FATHER    DE    SMET,   S.J. 


THE    LIFE    OF 
FATHER    DE    SMET,  S.J. 


CHAPTER   I 

CHILDHOOD — YOUTH — DEPARTURE   FOR   AMERICA 
(l8oi-l82l) 

Termonde — The  Family — "Honest  De  Smet" — The  Parish  Priest  of 
Heusden  —  Peter's  Birth  —  His  Childhood  — ' '  Samson ' '  —  His  First 
Studies — Beirvelde,  St.  Nicolas,  Alost,  Mechlin — His  Vocation — Father 
Nerinckx — Young  De  Smet  with  Eight  Companions  Leaves  Secretly 
for  America — His  Brother  Charles  is  Sent  to  Find  Him — The  Police  of 
King  William — Arrival  at  Georgetown. 

THE  intimate  charm  of  the  old  Flemish  towns  has 
been  vaunted  in  story  and  song.  Termonde,  al- 
though not  so  interesting  as  "Bruges-la-Morte,"  possesses 
a  certain  picturesqueness  of  its  own  and  more  than  one 
heroic  legend  adorns  its  annals.  Situated  at  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Dender  and  the  Schelde  in  the  midst  of  a 
plain,  Termonde  offers  exceptional  advantages  for  military 
defence.  Fortified  at  the  beginning  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  it  has  withstood  many  sieges  at  the  hands  of  the 
English,  French,  and  Spaniards;  in  1667  the  brave  burghers 
of  the  place  forced  an  army  commanded  by  Louis  XIV 
himself  to  retreat.1 

1  It  was  at  night  while  the  King  was  celebrating  his  anticipated  victory 
that  the  defenders  of  the  town  pierced  the  Schelde  dikes  in  several  places 
and  opened  the  sluices  of  the  Dender.  Instantly  the  surrounding  country 
and  the  French  camp  were  inundated.  Louis  XIV,  warned  in  time  by  a 
miller,  fled,  crying,  "Cursed  city — would  that  I  could  take  you  with  an 
army  of  ducks!" — (Chronicken  van  Vlaenderen,  Vol.  iv,  p.  737.) 

Translator's  Note:  History  repeated  itself  on  Sept.  7,  I9i4t  when  the 
German  Army  in  its  operations  against  the  Allies  in  Belgium  laid  siege  to 
Termonde  with  a  force  of  twenty  thousand  troops.  A  garrison  of  six 
thousand  Belgian  soldiers  defended  the  city  for  six  hours  and  when  forced 
to  evacuate  opened  the  dikes  of  the  Schelde.  The  resulting  inundation 
obliged  the  Germans  also  to  abandon  the  situation. 


2     THE    LIFE    OF    FATHER    DE    SMET,  S.J. 

To-day  Termonde  boasts  of  a  population  of  ten  thousand 
inhabitants.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  moat,  and  this,  with 
the  sinuous  canals  and  their  ceaseless  and  silent  traffic 
winding  through  the  town,  gives  it  the  appearance  of  a 
Venice  of  the  North.  One  finds  considerable  commercial 
activity  there  and  it  is  also  the  seat  of  an  important 
garrison,  but  these  aspects  of  modern  life  have  not  stifled 
a  proper  respect  for  the  traditions  and  monuments  of  the 
past.  The  imposing  cathedral  with  its  fine  wainscoting, 
its  paintings  by  Flemish  masters,  its  time-honored  Virgin; 
the  town-hall  where  the  municipal  council  were  accustomed 
to  take  the  oath  of  office  in  defence  of  liberty ;  the  ancient 
belfry  whence  the  joyful  notes  of  the  chimes  are  wafted 
over  the  city ;  the  statues  of  Our  Lady  at  the  street  corners ; 
the  silent  monasteries  veiled  in  mist,  and  the  "beguinage" 
with  its  white  cells  grouped  around  the  little  church — all 
this  reminds  one  of  the  Flanders  of  other  times,  with  its 
busy  life,  proud  independence,   and  solid  faith. 

The  De  Smet  family  was  one  that  gloried  in  preserving 
intact  its  heritage  of  old  customs  and  manners,  and  for 
three  centuries  strength  of  character  and  exemplary 
Christian  living  have  been  transmitted  with  the  name 
from  father  to  son.  When  John  De  Smet,  grandfather  of 
our  missionary,  lay  dying,  he  summoned  Joost,  his  youngest 
son,  and,  like  the  patriarchs  of  old,  gave  him  a  solemn 
blessing.  That  scene  left  an  enduring  impression  upon  the 
young  man,  who  in  after  life  would  often  describe  it  to  his 
own  children. 

Joost  De  Smet  was  born  December  18,  1736,  at  St. 
Amand-lez-Puers  in  the  province  of  Antwerp.  On  January 
15,  1 761,  he  married  Jeanne  Marie  Duerinck  of  Ter- 
monde, or  rather  its  environs,  a  fact  which  doubtless 
decided  them  to  live  in  Termonde.  Joost  was  a  ship- 
owner and  resided  in  the  Rue  de  l'Escaut,2  in  a  large 
house  which  to-day  is  still  standing.  Through  his  untiring 
energy  and  his  genius  for  business  he  amassed  a  fortune 
that  enabled  him  to  provide  his  numerous  children  with 

2  Rue  de  l'Escaut  has  recently  been  renamed  Franz-Courtens. 

Translator's  Note:  It  is  doubtful  if  this  house  is  still  standing,  owing  to 
the  severe  bombardment  by  German  artillery  in  the  operations  against 
Termonde  on  or  about  Sept.  7,  1914. 


CHILDHOOD  3 

honorable  positions  in  life.  His  honesty  was  so  proverbial 
that  he  was  known  as  "honest  De  Smet."  He  gave 
generously  in  support  of  all  good  works  and  on  two  occasions 
came  to  the  assistance  of  relatives  who  were  in  financial 
difficulties  and  thus  saved  the  honor  of  the  name. 

When  in  1792  Dumouriez  requested  the  Belgians  to 
select  provisional  representatives  from  each  "commune" 
Joost  De  Smet  was  one  of  eighteen  citizens  elected  by  the 
city  of  Termonde. 

The  plans  of  Dumouriez  apparently  contemplated  that 
the  provisional  representatives  were  to  superintend  and 
carry  out  the  public  policies,  and  guard  the  rights  of  the 
people  until  a  constitution  was  established  to  replace  the 
Austrian  regime,  and  that  the  form  of  government  thus 
adopted  by  them  was  in  no  wise  to  be  interfered  with.3 
We  know  how  the  decree  of  December  15  th  shattered 
every  hope  that  was  founded  upon  the  moderation  and 
disinterestedness  of  Dumouriez4;  how,  upon  his  own  ad- 
mission, this  act  proved  that  the  Convention  had  sent  an 
army  only  to  despoil  and  tyrannize  over  the  Belgians5; 
and  with  what  universal  protestation  this  decree  was 
received  by  the  entire  country.  At  Termonde  Joost 
De  Smet  and  his  colleagues  steadfastly  refused  to  accept  a 
decision  which  was  a  brutal  violation  of  the  rights  they 
had  sworn  to  defend.  Nor  did  they  permit  the  insistence 
of  the  commissioners  of  the  Convention  to  coerce  them,  even 
when  that  body  held  out  threats  of  military  execution. 
Some  weeks  later  when  the  people  of  Termonde,  at  the 
"Assemblee  Primaire"  in  the  cathedral  of  Notre  Dame, 
were  called  upon  to  choose  between  the  existing  regime 
or  annexation  to  the  French  Republic,  the  ship-owner 
declared  himself  uncompromisingly  on  the  side  of  adhering 
to  the  ancient  constitution.6 

3  Cf .  "Proclamation  of  General  Dumouriez  to  the  People  of  Belgium," 
Nov.  3,  1792. 

*  This  decree,  destined  to  prepare  the  way  for  annexing  Belgium  to  France, 
was  the  work  of  the  Deputy  Cambon.  After  promising  the  Belgians  "peace, 
support,  fraternity,  liberty,  and  equality,"  the  Convention  reduced  them 
to  a  state  of  dependence  and  treated  them  as  outlaws.  Cf.  Nameche, 
"Cours  d'Histoire  Nationale,"  Vol.  xxvii,  p.  327,  et  seq. 

6  See  "Memoires  du  Dumouriez,"  London,  1794,  Book  I,  Chaps,  iii 
and  viii. 

6  Cf .  "Register  of  the  Resolutions  of  the  Magistrate  of  the  city  of  Ter- 


4        THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Of  Joost's  marriage  with  Jeanne  Marie  Duerinck  seven: 
children  were  born.  The  eldest,  Jean  Baptiste,  became  a 
priest  and  had  the  honor  and  privilege  of  confessing  his 
faith  during  the  French  Revolution.  Being  vicar  of  Sley- 
dinge,  near  Eecloo,  in  1797  he  refused  to  take  the  civil 
oath  required  by  the  Directory,  and,  in  consequence,  was 
condemned  to  be  deported  to  Guiana.  For  a  time  he 
succeeded  in  hiding  himself  in  his  parish,  but  finally  was 
arrested  a  year  later,  was  sent  to  the  prison  at  Ghent,  and 
thence  to  the  Isle  of  Re,  where  he  remained  for  upward 
of  twelve  months,  serving  as  a  nurse  in  the  military  hos- 
pital of  the  garrison.  He  was  ransomed  finally  by  his 
father,7  and,  upon  his  return  to  Belgium,  assumed  with 
great  ardor  the  functions  of  vicar  of  Sleydinge.  In  1804 
he  was  appointed  parish  priest  at  Heusden,  near  Ghent, 
and  here  the  saintly  Abbe  remained  for  four  years  until 
his  death,  which  was  one  altogether  in  keeping  with  the 
admirable  tenor  of  his  life.  On  the  feast  of  Corpus  Christi, 
June  19,  1808,  in  his  forty-sixth  year,  while  preaching  an 
eloquent  sermon  on  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  he  faltered  suddenly  and  sank  to  the  floor. 
His  parishioners  rushed  to  his  aid,  but  before  they  reached 
him  he  had  passed  away.8 

Joost  De  Smet  lost  his  first  wife  after  thirty  years  of 
married  life,  and  eventually  contracted  a  second  marriage 
with  a  certain  Marie  Jeanne  Buydens,  a  native  of  the 
village  of  d'Acren-Saint-Gereon  in  Hainaut.  Although 
there  was  great  disparity  in  the  ages  of  this  couple,  the 
second  wife  being  at  the  time  twenty  and  the  husband 
fifty-six  years  of  age,  the  union  was  not  less  happy  or 
prolific  than  the  former  one.  Marie  Buydens  became  the 
mother  of  nine  children,  and  Joost  De  Smet  realized, 
in  fact,   the   fruits    of  that    paternal    benediction   which 

monde,"  published  by  Jean  Broeckaert  in  the  Annals  of  the  Archeological 
Society  of  Termonde,  1900,  pp.  290-300. 

7  Joost  De  Smet  at  the  same  time  ransomed  J.  B.  Peeters,  who  was  the 
dean  of  Laerne. 

8  Cf .  Van  Baveghem  "Het  Martelaarsboeck  der  belgische  geestelijkheid 
ten  tijde  der  fransche  omwenteling,"  Ghent,  1875;  p.  249.  The  memory 
of  Father  Jean  De  Smet  is  still  venerated  in  his  former  parish.  On  Sept.  29, 
1868,  a  monument  was  erected  in  the  church  at  Heusden  as  a  memorial  to 
him. 


CHILDHOOD  5 

had  made  so  lasting  an  impression  on  him  years  be- 
fore.9 

Among  the  children  of  the  second  marriage  mention 
must  be  made  of  Rosalie,  Charles,  and  Francis,  for  their 
names  will  occur  often  during  the  course  of  this  narrative. 
Rosalie  De  Smet  married,  in  1830,  Charles  Van  Mossevelde, 
a  man  who  was  prominent  in  the  business  and  politics  of 
Termonde.  Charles  and  Francis  became  lawyers  and  both 
attained  distinction. 

Peter,  the  future  apostle  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  was 
born  on  January  30,  1801,  a  few  moments  before  his  twin 
sister,  Colette  Aldegonde.  The  twins  were  baptized  the 
same  day  in  the  church  of  Our  Lady,  by  Father  Ringoot, 
the  parish  priest.  Baptiste  Rollier,  their  brother-in-law, 
stood  sponsor  for  both  children,  the  godmother  being  their 
sister-in-law,  Colette  De  Saegher. 

Peter's  childhood  was  passed  under  the  vigilant  eyes  of 
his  father  and  Marie  Buydens,  and  to  him,  who  some  day 

9  The  following  are  the  names  of  Joost  De  Smet's  children  by  his  first  wife, 
Jeanne  Marie  Duerinck: 

Jean  Baptiste,  born  Jan.  4,  1762,  died  June  19,  1808,  curate  of  Heusden. 

Jeanne  Catherine,  born  Aug.  I,  1763,  died  Sept.  27,  1769. 

Joost,  born  April  12,  1765,  died  in  childhood. 

Isabelle  Francoise,  born  May  16,   1767,  died  May  21,  1831,  wife  of 

Jean  Baptiste  Rollier. 
Joseph  Antoine,  born  Sept.  II,  1769,  died  Sept.  18,  1769. 
Marie  Therese,  born  March  8,  1771,  died  June  22,   1858. 
Joost  Joseph,  born  Jan.  13,  1775,  died  March  31,  1817,  married  Colette 

De  Saegher. 

Children  by  his  second  wife,  Marie  Jeanne  Buydens: 
Jeanne  Marie,  born  Nov.  12,  1793,  died  Dec.  8,  1796. 
Colette,  born  May  24,  1795,  died  Dec.  13,  1796. 
Rosalie,  born  Nov.  7,  1796,  died  Oct.  26,  1875,  married  Charles  Van 

Mossevelde. 
Charles,  born  Sept.  20,   1798,  died  Nov.  3,   i860,  Counselor  of  the 

Court  of  Appeals  of  Ghent.     Married  Marie  Li6nart. 
Pierre  Jean  (Peter),  born  Jan.  30,  1801,  died  May  23,  1873.     Missionary. 
Colette  Aldegonde,  born  Jan.  30,  1801,  died  Aug.  15,  1807. 
Francis,  born  May  15,  1803,  died  April  28,  1878.     Justice  of  the  Peace 

at  Ghent.     Married  Jeanne  Catherine  Rollier. 
Marie  Jeanne,  born  Aug.   20,    1805,   died  about   1830.     Married  to 

Frederic  Jean  Lutens. 
Jean,  born  Feb.  11,  1807,  died  Feb.  3,  1813. 

The  family  record  states  that  Joost  De  Smet  had  twenty-two  children. 
Several  by  his  first  wife  must  have  died  in  infancy  when  an  epidemic  of 
smallpox  was  raging  in  Termonde. 


6        THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

was  to  win  an  entire  people  over  to  Jesus  Christ,  was 
given  the  privilege  of  growing  to  manhood  in  the  atmos- 
phere of  that  ardent  faith  which  is  engendered  by  religious 
persecution.  "The  lessons  of  piety  taught  me  in  child- 
hood," he  said  in  after  life,  "were  the  seeds  of  that  de- 
sire, which  I  conceived  and  afterward  executed  by  God's 
grace,  to  give  myself  without  reserve  to  His  service."10 

The  ship-owner  possessed  in  a  rare  degree  those  quali- 
ties required  by  the  head  of  a  family.  His  portrait,  still 
in  the  possession  of  his  descendants,  gives  one  the  impres- 
sion of  a  singularly  energetic  man,  one  perhaps  even  hard.11 
It  seems,  in  fact,  that  this  authority  was  exercised  with  a 
certain  rigor;  but  this  severity,  inseparable  from  true 
discipline  and  training,  was  neither  excessive  nor  arbitrary — - 
if  the  hand  was  firm  the  heart  was  kind.  He  was  treated 
with  a  sort  of  religious  respect  by  his  household ;  his  wishes 
and  his  orders  were  accepted  without  question,  and  scrupu- 
lously obeyed.  He  whose  life  we  are  relating  eulogized 
his  father  in  these  words :  "He  seemed  to  take  God  for  his 
model  in  the  training  of  his  children."  12 

Less,  however,  is  known  about  the  character  of  Marie 
Buydens.  She  exercised  a  certain  authority  in  the  house- 
hold and  directed  most  successfully  the  education  of  her 
children.  She  died  at  the  age  of  forty-seven,  shortly 
before  the  departure  for  America  of  Peter,  the  future 
missionary.13  Her  son  cherished  always  the  tenderest 
memories  of  his  mother  and,  in  his  letters,  speaks  of  her 
with  great  veneration. 

The  boyhood  of  Peter  gave  ample  promise  of  the  dis- 
position which,  in  the  years  of  his  maturity,  so  ably  fitted 
him  for  the  role  he  was  destined  by  Providence  to  fill. 
"From  childhood,"  writes  his  brother  Francis,  "he  was 
endowed  with  a  strong  and  vigorous  constitution;  he  was 
hardy,  adventurous,  and  indifferent  to  danger,  and  yet 
withal  of  a  nature  at  once  affectionate,  gentle,  and 
generous."  u 

10  To  his  sister  Rosalie,  Florissant,  Feb.  10,  1828. 

11  This  portrait  is,  to-day,  the  property  of  M.  Paul  De  Smet,  judge  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals  at  Ghent. 

12  Letter  to  his  family,  Amsterdam,  Aug.  2,  1821. 

13  Sept.  19,  1819. 

11  Letter  to  Father  Deynoodt,  Dec.  23,  1873. 


YOUTH  7 

As  a  boy  he  had  a  pronounced  taste  for  games  and 
athletics.  The  more  violent  and  dangerous,  the  more 
they  seemed  to  appeal  to  him.  Frequently  was  he  seen 
climbing  a  tree  and  then  rapidly  descending  by  swinging 
from  one  limb  to  another,  but  more  often  could  he  be 
found  hazarding  a  long  leap  between  the  numerous  boats 
that  were  brought  almost  to  the  door  of  his  father's  house 
by  a  small  arm  of  the  Schelde.  On  one  of  these  occasions 
a  false  step  precipitated  him  in  the  water  and  almost  cost 
him  his  life,  but  the  following  day  found  him  undismayed 
at  this  favorite  pastime.  Every  morning  Peter  would  relate 
to  his  family  the  dreams  he  had  during  the  night,  and 
these  were  always  about  ships,  sea  voyages,  and  ship- 
wrecks. His  father  was  often  wont  to  exclaim:  "God 
preserve  him !  He  will  be  either  a  soldier  or  a  great  trav- 
eler;   he  will  never  remain  at  home." 

And  finally  we  come  to  his  school-days,  which  had  their 
beginning  in  a  certain  free  school  of  Termonde,  conducted 
by  a  lay  teacher  named  Delauneau.  Whatever  aptitude 
for  learning  he  might  have  displayed  it  was  not  such  as 
made  him  conspicuous,  but  in  agility  and  physical  strength 
he  was  without  an  equal.  His  deeds  of  prowess  were 
likened  to  those  of  the  judge  of  Israel,  the  conqueror 
of  the  Philistines,  and  he  was  accordingly  dubbed  "Sam- 
son" by  his  companions,  a  name  which  was  applied  to 
him  in  every  school  that  he  attended.  His  sister  Rosalie, 
who  was  four  years  his  senior,  retained  a  vivid  recollection 
of  his  heroic  childhood.  Sixty  years  afterward  she  wrote : 
"he  was  a  sort  of  Hercules,  the  terror  of  his  class,  high- 
spirited,  a  fighter,  and  always  in  trouble."15  It  must  be 
said,  however,  in  Peter's  defence,  that  when  he  fought,  it 
was  usually  either  to  uphold  the  honor  of  his  side  or  else 
assist  some  fellow-student  too  weak  to  defend  himself. 

The  course  of  events  so  shaped  themselves  in  time  that 
he  was  given  an  opportunity,  on  a  certain  occasion,  to 
employ  his  splendid  strength  in  the  service  of  religion.  It 
happened  that  during  a  kermess  a  traveling  show  erected 
booths  in  front  of  the  church,  and  at  the  hour  for  High 
Mass  proceeded  to  parade  about  in  grotesque  fashion  ac- 

15  Related  by  M.  Leon  Van  Mossevelde  in  a  letter  to  Father  Dey- 
noodt,  Dec.  i,  1873. 


8        THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

companied  by  the  music  of  trombones.  However  amusing 
the  spectacle,  the  good  people  of  Termonde  preferred  to 
assist  at  Mass,  and  the  mountebanks,  angered  by  this 
seeming  indifference,  sought  to  annoy  the  congregation 
during  the  entire  time  of  the  service  by  making  distracting 
noises  on  their  brass  instruments.  On  coming  out  of 
church,  Peter  called  several  comrades  to  his  side  and  led 
an  attack  upon  the  booths.  At  once  the  parade  was  dis- 
organized and  the  music  ceased  braying.  The  players  were 
disconcerted  by  this  sudden  attack,  and,  failing  to  gather 
any  assurance  from  the  attitude  of  the  bystanders,  fled 
without  offering  further  resistance.  They  removed  their 
paraphernalia  under  cover  of  darkness. 

Encouraged  by  this  success,  young  De  Smet  dreamed  of 
more  brilliant  conquests.  The  Napoleonic  wars  were  in 
progress  at  this  time  and  Peter  listened  with  avidity  to 
the  tales  recounted  by  the  veterans  who  had  marched 
through  Europe  with  the  conquering  army.  The  glory  of 
it  all  haunted  the  boy's  mind.  To  defend  a  barricade  or 
engage  in  a  skirmish  with  the  young  element  of  the  neigh- 
borhood was  too  tame  an  affair;  henceforth  nothing  short 
of  major  tactics  for  him.  In  imagination  he  had  the 
Austrians  and  Russians  encamped  in  the  near-by  villages 
about  Termonde  and  the  young  men  of  these  communities 
were  to  impersonate  the  hostile  forces. 

It  later  years,  when  an  old  missionary,  he  loved  to 
recount  one  of  these  expeditions  in  which  his  star  for  an 
instant  waned.  It  was  on  a  fine  morning  about  the  year 
1812  or  1813,  when,  having  assembled  the  school-boys 
of  several  neighborhoods,  he  announced  that  they  would 
attack  the  "Russians"  occupying  the  village  of  Grem- 
bergen.  The  proposal  was  enthusiastically  received,  and 
the  "army"  of  about  a  hundred  would-be  warriors  marched 
gayly  forth.  The  "Russians,"  however,  doubtless  upon 
the  information  of  their  spies,  were  in  a  state  of  prepared- 
ness and  rushed  upon  the  invaders.  An  encounter  took 
place  and  after  a  passage  at  arms  amid  some  hillocks  of 
sand,  the  youths  of  Grembergen  fell  back  upon  their 
village  hotly  pursued  by  the  "French,"  who  forced  the 
issue  a  second  time,  with  greater  fury,  in  the  square  near 
the   church.     That  it  happened   to  be  Sunday  was   an 


YOUTH  9 

unfortunate  circumstance,  but  that  the  hour  of  battle 
happened  to  coincide  with  the  hour  of  Mass  was  still 
more  so.  Hearing  the  enraged  cries  of  the  combatants, 
and  seeing  their  fellow-townsmen  vanquished  and  seeking 
asylum  in  the  church,  the  peasant  congregation  sallied 
forth,  armed  with  pitchforks  and  sticks,  and  threw  them- 
selves into  the  melee.  This  turned  the  tide  of  victory  and 
forced  "General"  De  Smet  to  lead  his  tattered  and  bruised 
forces  in  retreat. 

Rumors  of  this  expedition,  doubtless  noticed  on  account 
of  its  early  morning  start,  came  to  the  ears  of  Joost  De 
Smet,  who  at  once  set  out  in  search  of  his  son.  As  he  was 
leaving  the  outskirts  of  Termonde  Peter  was  entering,  his 
"army"  in  complete  rout.  The  ship-builder,  wishing  to 
add  another  cruel  lesson  to  that  of  defeat,  deprived  the 
youthful  general  of  his  pocket-money  for  ten  days,  which 
meant,  in  other  words,  confinement  to  the  house.  Seclu- 
sion, however,  is  sometimes  a  bad  counselor.  One  day, 
during  this  confinement,  while  his  mother  was  engaged 
in  sewing,  Peter  cleverly  got  possession  of  her  scissors  and 
cut  out  all  the  pockets  of  his  coat  and  then  took  care  to 
leave  it  where  she  could  see  what  he  had  done.  Marie 
Buydens  reported  this  to  her  husband,  who,  in  turn,  sum- 
moned his  culprit  son  and  with  severity  demanded,  "What 
is  the  reason  that  you  cut  out  your  pockets?"  to  which  the 
youth  responded,  "What  need  have  I  for  pockets  since  I 
have  nothing  to  put  in  them?" 

Although  on  occasions  Peter  was  swayed  by  the  impulses 
of  his  ardent  nature  he  gave  indications,  day  by  day,  that 
his  was  also  a  generous  nature  and  one  imbued  with  filial 
devotion.  He  had  now  reached  his  twelfth  year  and  was 
preparing  for  his  first  communion.  The  time  was  at 
hand  when  the  development  of  his  rare  qualities  of  heart 
must  be  rounded  out  and  fixed  by  a  careful  cultivation  of 
his  intellect. 

At  Beirvelde,  near  Ghent,  there  was  a  large  school  which 
enjoyed  the  patronage  of  the  best  families.  It  was  to  this 
institution  that  Joost  De  Smet  decided  to  send  his  son 
for  the  twofold  purpose  of  completing  his  studies  and 
experiencing  the  benefits  of  discipline.  Accordingly,  about 
2 


io      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

the  year  1814,  Peter  left  the  paternal  roof,  thereafter  to 
return  only  for  a  few  weeks'  vacation  every  year.  His  life 
at  boarding-school  contrasted  greatly  with  the  life  he  had 
been  accustomed  to  lead  at  home,  but  there  was  little 
question  as  to  his  powers  of  adaptability  when  recreation 
hours  came  around.  At  these  times  he  was  entirely  in  his 
element  and  was  the  life  and  soul  of  every  game.  Here, 
as  formerly,  his  unusual  physical  strength  commanded  for 
him  the  respect  of  his  companions,  although  he  was  among 
the  very  youngest  of  the  school.  On  the  occasion  of 
holidays,  instead  of  taking  his  place  in  the  diligence  with 
the  rest  of  his  comrades  bound  for  Termonde,  Peter,  staff 
in  hand,  would  make  the  journey  on  foot,  arriving  at  his 
father's  house  by  nightfall. 

After  a  year  or  two  passed  at  Beirvelde  he  entered  the 
Preparatory  Seminary  of  St.  Nicolas,  where  he  began  his 
Latin  studies,  but  did  not  long  remain  here,  for  in  18 18 
we  find  him  at  the  college  of  Alost.16  We  wonder  at  the 
frequent  changes  from  one  school  to  another  and  we  find 
a  partial  answer  in  a  certain  letter  written  by  his  brother 
Francis:  "He  could  not  remain  very  long  anywhere."17 
Peter  was  of  a  roving  disposition,  a  fact  to  which  the 
principal  events  of  his  life  attest,  and  his  letters  tell  us 
that  of  St.  Nicolas  he  retained  the  most  pleasant  recol- 
lections. In  later  years  he  often  returned  there  and  was 
always  received  with  open  arms  and  accorded  enthusiastic 
interest  on  behalf  of  his  missionary  work. 

His  entry  into  the  student  life  at  Alost  was  marked  by 
an  episode  that  won  for  him  at  once  a  firm  place  in  the 
respect  of  the  student  body.  The  existence  of  bitter 
animosity  between  the  Flemish  and  Walloon*  boys  led 
to  frequent  and  violent  quarrels.  The  first  time  that 
young  De  Smet  appeared  at  recreation  he  was  accosted  in 
a  rude  and  insulting  manner  by  a  Walloon  several  years 

16  The  college  of  Alost,  opened  by  the  Jesuits  in  1620,  was  at  that  time  con- 
ducted by  the  priests  of  the  diocese  of  Ghent.  Canon  Van  Crombrugghe, 
who  later  founded  the  Josephites,  and  the  Ladies  of  Mary,  was  then  in 
charge.     The  Jesuits  did  not  return  to  Alost  until  1831. 

17  Letter  to  Father  Deynoodt,  Dec.  22,  1873. 

*  Translator's  Note:  The  Walloons  are  a  mixed  Italic,  Teutonic,  Celtic 
people  in  southeastern  Belgium  and  parts  adjacent.  "The  Walloons  are 
descended  from  the  ancient  Gallic  Belgi,  with  an  admixture  of  Roman 
elements."     (Encyc.  Brit.,  nth  Ed.) 


YOUTH  ii 

older  and  much  bigger  than  himself.  In  a  flash  Peter  had 
the  aggressor  down,  and,  doubling  him  up,  carried  him 
bodily  to  a  pool  of  water  near  by.  The  bully  shouted 
and  kicked,  but  "Samson"  held  him  as  with  muscles  of 
steel,  nor  did  he  let  go  until  he  had  immersed  him  two 
or  three  times  in  the  water,  to  the  great  amusement  of 
the  spectators. 

As  a  scholar,  however,  our  hero  was  not  so  conspicuous; 
his  standing  as  such  was  at  all  times  creditable,  but  not 
unusually  so,  although  he  seems  to  have  distinguished  him- 
self in  mathematics. 

From  the  college  at  Alost  Peter  went  to  the  Preparatory 
Seminary  at  Mechlin.18  There,  it  seems,  his  intellect  was 
judged  more  solid  than  brilliant.  His  former  companions 
all  agree  that  he  was  gifted  with  sound  judgment  and 
that  it  was  evident  he  would  one  day  be  a  man  of  action. 
If  the  future  missionary  lacked  a  passion  for  study  it  would 
appear  that,  in  his  own  way,  he  was  a  conscientious  worker, 
for  one  of  his  classmates,  in  alluding  to  that  period  of 
Peter's  life,  said,  "he  was  always  writing."19 

At  recreation-time  Peter  was  in  his  true  element,  first 
in  every  foot-race,  the  most  expert  at  ball  and  other  games. 
For  sheer  display  of  strength  he  would  sometimes  extend 
his  arms,  setting  his  muscles  rigid,  and  the  united  efforts 
of  his  playmates  could  not  bend  them.  Dr.  Cranincx, 
afterward  professor  at  the  University  of  Louvain,  recalled 
with  pleasure  how  many  were  the  times  that  he  had  seen 
Peter  lifted  up  and  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  his  com- 
rades amidst  enthusiastic  applause.  The  kind  heart, 
the  cheerful  disposition,  and  the  straightforwardness  which 
had  made  Peter  De  Smet  so  well  liked  at  Alost  and  at 
St.  Nicolas  won  for  him  an  equal  popularity  at  the 
seminary  at  Mechlin.     He  formed  friendships  there  which 

18  The  Preparatory  Seminary  or  the  archiepiscopal  college  of  Mechlin  was 
at  that  time  in  the  Rue  St.  Jean,  in  the  house  now  occupied  *  by  the  Sisters 
of  Mary.  The  Superior,  Father  Verlooy,  a  former  Oratorian,  was  a  man 
of  wide  experience  and  eminent  virtue.  His  imposing  personality  com- 
manded the  respect  of  his  pupils,  and  so  great  was  his  eloquence  as  a  preacher 
that  the  powerful  impressions  created  by  his  Sunday  sermons  were  remem- 
bered half  a  century  later. 

*  Translator's  Note:  It  is  doubtful  whether  a  vestige  of  this  building  has 
been  left  standing  after  the  devastating*  operations  of  the  army  of  invasion. 

19  Abbe  de  Viron. 


12       THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  SJ. 

neither  time  nor  distance  could  efface,  and  of  these  the 
most  notable  were  with  Dr.  Cranincx  and  Monseigneur 
De  Ram,  who  later  became  rector  of  the  University  of 
Louvain.* 

A  natural  question  comes  up  here  as  to  what  vocation 
Peter  was  destined  to  follow.  The  assertion  has  been 
made  by  one  of  his  comrades20  that  the  future  missionary 
was  at  this  time  contemplating  the  life  of  a  Trappist 
monk,  but  it  seems  unlikely  that  such  was  the  case  when 
we  consider  his  adventurous  spirit  and  how  ill  adapted  it 
would  have  been  to  the  limitations  and  restraints  of  mon- 
astic life.  At  all  events,  he  soon  began  to  entertain  other 
designs,  and  at  twenty  years  of  age,  in  his  second  year  at 
Mechlin,  he  encountered  in  Father  Nerinckx,  a  missionary 
from  Kentucky,  the  influence  which  was  to  decide  his 
career. 

Charles  Nerinckx  was  born  October  2,  1761,  in  the 
village  of  Herffelingen  in  Brabant.  His  ordination  took 
place  in  1785,  after  which  he  was  appointed  vicar  of  the 
cathedral  of  Mechlin,  and  later  curate  of  Everberg- 
Meerbeke  near  Louvain.  His  work  in  this  parish  was 
attended  with  splendid  success,  but  suffered  a  serious 
interruption  when  the  Revolutionary  authorities  issued  a 
warrant  for  his  arrest.  With  this  hanging  over  his  head 
he  was  forced  to  leave  his  parish,  seeking  refuge  in  the 
hospital  of  Termonde,  and  there  taking  up  the  duties  of  the 
former  chaplain,  who  had  just  been  deported  to  the  Isle  of 
Re.  This  post  he  continued  to  hold  for  several  years,  amid 
constant  danger  of  being  discovered  by  agents  of  the 
Republic.  Caution  obliged  him  to  say  Mass  at  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  after  which  he  would  spend  the  rest  of  the 
day  in  hiding.  His  enforced  seclusion  and  the  consequent 
leisure  gave  him  opportunities  for  literary  work  which  he 
improved  by  writing  several  treatises  upon  Theology,  Sa- 
cred History,  and  Canon  Law.  When  circumstances  per- 
mitted, he  would  steal  out  of  his  hiding-place  to  visit  the 

*  Translator's  Note:  The  University  of  Louvain  was  practically  destroyed 
by  fire  and  demolition  when  the  city  of  Louvain  was  captured  and  sacked 
by  the  Germans  in  their  march  toward  Paris,  Aug.  26,  1914. 

20  Abbe  Jongmans. 


DEPARTURE  FOR  AMERICA  13 

sick  and  the  prisoners  of  war  held  in  Termonde,  and  at 
times  he  even  found  a  way  of  secretly  entering  Everberg, 
where  he  brought  religious  encouragement  to  his  aban- 
doned parishioners. 

This  circumscribed  missionary  work,  however,  far  from 
satisfied  his  ardent  nature,  and  in  1804  he  left  Belgium  and 
sought  a  vaster  field  of  action  in  the  United  States.  After 
a  terrible  crossing  in  a  ship  which  he  afterward  described 
as  "a  floating  hell,"  Father  Nerinckx  arrived  in  Balti- 
more. Bishop  Carroll,  at  that  time  the  only  Catholic 
Bishop  in  America,  received  the  missionary  most  cor- 
dially, accepted  his  offer  of  service,  and  sent  him  to  join 
Father  Badin,  the  priest  who  a  few  years  previously 
had  founded  the  Kentucky  Mission.  The  priests  of  this 
mission  had  for  the  theater  of  their  activities  a  territory 
larger  than  the  whole  of  France,  and  here  for  twenty  years 
Father  Nerinckx  labored  with  indefatigable  zeal,  conse- 
crating his  health,  strength,  and  energy  to  the  work  of 
evangelization.  He  traversed  Kentucky  from  one  end  to 
the  other;  at  times  in  depths  of  winter  through  ice  and 
snow;  at  times  again  through  the  torrid  heats  of  summer. 
To  ford  a  river  or  to  swim  it  were  alike  to  him,  and  he  would 
oftentimes  traverse  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  on  horse- 
back to  say  Mass,  fasting  from  food  till  three  or  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  With  his  own  hands  he  built  a  house 
for  himself  at  a  cost  of  $6.50.  His  was  a  rude  apostolate, 
filled  with  terrifying  hardships.  As  the  number  of  Chris- 
tians increased  he  built  churches  in  proportion,  until  ten 
had  been  erected,  as  well  as  a  number  of  chapels.  He 
founded  the  congregation  of  the  Sisters  of  Loretto,  a 
congregation  which  soon  established  religious  institutions 
in  all  parts  of  the  continent,  for  the  purpose  of  instruct- 
ing children  in  their  religion  and  also  for  taking  care  of 
orphans. 

In  1808  the  Bishopric  of  the  See  of  New  Orleans  was 
offered  to  Father  Nerinckx,  but  he  declined  the  honor, 
saying,  "Bonitatem  et  disciplinam  et  scientiam  docendus, 
docere  non  valeo."21  Bishop  Spalding  has  said  of  him, 
"He  was  a  learned,  humble  priest,  content  to  hide  his 

21  "I  have  need  myself  to  acquire  virtue,  wisdom,  and  knowledge,  and  am 
not  capable  of  teaching  it  to  others." 


i4       THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

knowledge  and  to  bury  himself  among  men  who  did  not 
know  even  the  meaning  of  the  word  'learning.'"22 

Charles  Nerinckx  returned  to  Belgium  in  1817  to  raise 
funds  and  to  procure  active  assistants.  He  made  a  second 
visit  to  his  native  land  in  182 1  for  the  same  purpose. 
Upon  the  occasion  of  the  latter  he  remarked:  "How  can 
it  be  that  Napoleon  found  millions  of  men  ready  to  sacri- 
fice their  lives  to  ravage  a  nation  and  aid  him  to  conquer 
the  world,  while  I  cannot  find  a  handful  of  devoted  men  to 
save  an  entire  people  and  extend  the  reign  of  God?" 
Before  departing  from  America  in  181 7  Father  Nerinckx 
stopped  at  Georgetown,  where  Father  Anthony  Kohlmann, 
then  Superior  of  the  Maryland  Province,  asked  him  to 
bring  back  a  large  reinforcement  of  Belgian  novices.  This 
he  bent  himself  to  with  great  ardor,  for  his  sympathies  lay 
very  strongly  with  the  Society  of  Jesus.  Five  young  men 
returned  with  him  to  enter  the  novitiate. 

His  second  voyage  was  even  more  successful  in  this 
respect,  as  will  be  seen.  After  his  arrival  in  Belgium  the 
missionary  spent  several  days  at  Mechlin,  where  he  had 
many  friends.  The  seminarists  received  him  warmly,  and 
listened  with  lively  interest  to  all  he  told  them  about 
the  immense  country,  where,  for  lack  of  priests,  thousands 
of  Catholics  were  forgetting  God  and  abandoning  their 
religion.  He  told  them  particularly  about  Kentucky  and 
the  flourishing  Christian  communities  he  had  founded 
there;  described  the  state  of  ignorance  in  which  the 
Western  Indian  tribes  were  languishing;  and  concluded 
by  speaking  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  that  had  just  been  re- 
established in  America  by  Pius  VII.  This  Society  had 
important  houses  in  the  United  States,  where  young 
novices  received  solid  religious  and  ascetic  training,  and 
were  wisely  directed  and  fitted  for  every  kind  of  apostolic 
work. 

These  discourses  created  a  profound  impression,  and 
during  his  visit  a  goodly  number  of  seminarists,  including 
Peter  De  Smet,  offered  to  accompany  Father  Nerinckx 
back  to  America.  He,  however,  counseled  them  not  to 
be  precipitate.     It  was  his  wish  that  they  take  time  for 

22  See  "The  Life  of  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx,"  by  Rt.  Rev.  Camillus  Maes, 
Cincinnati,  1879. 


DEPARTURE  FOR  AMERICA  15 

sober  reflection,  but  notwithstanding  this  it  seems  that 
their  choice  was  instantly  and  definitely  taken.23  In  a 
letter  young  De  Smet  wrote  his  father  before  embarking 
he  spoke  of  his  project  as  conceived  long  before.24  The 
future  proved  that  the  youthful  apostles  were  not  obeying 
a  passing  impulse. 

Father  Nerinckx,  after  a  thorough  examination  of  all 
the  applicants,  selected  nine  to  return  with  him  to  Amer- 
ica. From  the  Preparatory  Seminary  only  two  were 
chosen,  and  these  were  Peter  De  Smet  and  Joost  Van 
Assche,  of  St.  Amand-lez-Puers.  Of  the  applicants  from 
the  college  but  five  were  taken:  Felix  Verreydt,  of  Diest; 
Francis  De  Maillet,  of  Brussels;  John  Smedts,  of  Rotselaer; 
John  Anthony  Elet,  of  St.  Amand-lez-Puers;  and  Van 
Horzig,  of  Hoogstraeten.  A  priest,  Father  Veulemans,  and 
a  young  professor  of  the  Preparatory  Seminary,  Peter 
Verhaegen,  of  Haeght,  completed  the  personnel  of  the  band. 

The  enterprise  was  not  lacking  in  difficulties.  The  first 
one  encountered  was  the  opposition  of  the  parents  and 
families  of  the  young  missionaries.  They  seemed  unable 
to  reconcile  themselves  to  the  irrevocable  separation — the 
prospect  of  loss  being  too  sudden  and  immediate  to  be 
softened  by  sober  reflection. 

After  due  consideration  the  young  men  decided  to  leave 
Belgium  without  saying  good  -  by  to  their  families  —  a 
heroic  resolution  which  to  us  hardly  seems  compatible 
with  true  filial  devotion.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  how- 
ever, that  they  were  driven  by  cogent  reasons,  a  fact  in- 
dicated by  the  words  of  Peter  De  Smet  in  a  subsequent 
letter:  "To  have  asked  the  consent  of  our  parents  would 
have  been  to  court  a  certain  and  absolute  refusal."25 
Thus,  rather  than  jeopardize  a  well-defined  vocation  it 
appeared  advisable  to  limit  the  leave-taking  to  farewell 
letters    written    before    sailing.     Whatever    attitude    this 

23  One  of  these  young  men,  Joost  Van  Assche,  had  offered  himself  to 
Father  Nerinckx  in  1 817.  He  was  refused  then  on  account  of  his  age,  but 
not  only  did  he  hold  to  his  intention,  but  he  communicated  his  desire  to  be  a 
missionary  to  John  Elet,  and  their  example  influenced  others.  Cf.  the  St. 
Louis  Times,  June  27,  1877.  Chittenden-Richardson:  "Father  De  Smet's 
Life  and  Travels,"  p.  1 1. 

24  Letter  written  from  Texel  Island,  Aug.  7,  1821. 

25  From  a  letter  of  Father  De  Smet,  written  toward  the  end  of  his  life. 


16       THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

course  of  action  would  seem  to  indicate,  it  is  beyond  doubt 
that  all  of  the  young  men  were  fully  aware  of  the  great 
sacrifice  that  was  being  imposed  upon  their  parents.  That 
Peter  De  Smet  had  a  poignant  realization  of  this  we  know 
from  his  relatives,  who  tell  us  that  to  the  end  of  his  days 
the  memory  of  his  departure  remained  like  an  open  wound. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  we  are  also  told  that  he  was 
never  beset  with  any  misgivings,  because  he  always  felt 
that  he  had  obeyed  an  imperative  call  of  duty. 

All  preparations  were  carried  on  with  great  secrecy. 
Dr.  Cranincx  tells  us  how  he  became  the  unwitting  ac- 
complice of  Peter  De  Smet,  who  at  that  time  occupied 
the  bed  next  to  his  in  the  seminary  dormitory.  Young 
De  Smet  had  packed  the  greater  part  of  his  books  and 
clothing  when  he  discovered  that  his  trunk  would  not 
hold  everything.  His  eye  then  fell  upon  his  friend's 
trunk — "Cranincx,"  said  he,  "would  you  lend  me  your 
trunk  to  send  away  some  books?"  "Willingly,"  replied 
the  doctor;  whereupon  Peter,  taking  him  at  his  word, 
piled  in  the  rest  of  his  belongings  and  sent  them  off  to  the 
ship. 

After  leaving  the  seminary  the  young  men  remained 
hidden  for  a  time  in  a  neighboring  house26  whence  they 
departed  to  join  Father  Nerinckx  in  Amsterdam.  They 
could  not  call  on  their  families  for  funds,  and  being  able 
to  realize  but  small  sums  from  the  sale  of  what  few  and 
insignificant  trifles  they  possessed,  some  of  them  sought 
the  assistance  of  friends  to  defray  traveling  expenses. 
Others  of  the  party,  however,  preferred  to  seek  help  from 
strangers,  and  to  this  end  relied  upon  the  generosity  of 
such  as  they  could  interest  along  the  way  through  Holland. 
Among  their  benefactors  in  this  cause  mention  must  be 
made  of  Father  Verlooy,  Superior  of  the  Preparatory 
Seminary,  and  Mr.  Pierre  De  Nef ,  of  Turnhout,  a  personal 
friend  of  Father  Nerinckx  and  a  well-known  patron  of 
foreign  missions. 

Before  leaving  Belgium  Peter  De  Smet  returned  to 
St.   Nicolas    to    take   leave   of  his  old  teachers  and  also 

26  This  house  was  situated  at  the  corner  of  the  Rue  St.  Jean  and  the  Rue 
des  Vaches.  It  was  a  tobacco-shop,  and  the  sign  above  the  door  read: 
Het  Schip. 


DEPARTURE  FOR  AMERICA  17 

his  friend  and  counselor,  Father  Van  Boxelaere,  then  a 
professor  at  the  Preparatory  Seminary.  A  few  days  later, 
at  Mechlin,  he  joined  John  Baptiste  Smedts,  John  Anthony 
Elet,  and  Joost  Van  Assche,  who  were  to  proceed  with  him 
to  Amsterdam.  They  sailed  July  24,  182 1,  and  were  ac- 
companied as  far  as  Contich  by  Monseigneur  De  Ram,  an 
intimate  friend  of  Peter's.  When  the  moment  of  final 
separation  arrived  Monseigneur  De  Ram  asked  young 
De  Smet  to  give  him  some  souvenir  or  token  of  remem- 
brance, and  Peter,  taking  from  his  pocket  a  penny,  bent  it 
in  two  with  his  teeth  and  gave  it  to  his  friend;  then  the 
vessel  started  for  Antwerp. 

Having  surmounted  the  difficulty  of  parental  opposition, 
the  young  missionaries  were  very  soon  brought  face  to  face 
with  an  obstacle  of  a  different  character.  Belgium  was 
at  that  period  a  part  of  the  kingdom  of  the  Low  Coun- 
tries and  "the  hostility  of  Protestant  Holland  toward 
Catholics,  and  especially  foreign  missionaries,  manifested 
itself  in  various  ways;  sometimes  through  measures 
taken  against  them  by  the  government  and  sometimes 
by  the  fanatical  antagonism  of  the  favorites  of  King 
William.  .  .  .  Among  other  formalities  the  law  required  all 
travelers  to  show  their  passports  upon  entering  a  town. 
Those  who  could  not  do  so  were  detained  in  prison  until 
they  could  be  examined  and  state  the  object  of  their 
journey.    -' 

The  four  fugitives,  however,  who  had  set  out  from 
Mechlin  were  successful  in  evading  the  watchful  eye  of  the 
police.  A  friend  from  Antwerp,  Father  John  Buelens, 
who  was  in  the  secret  of  their  departure,  procured  for 
them  the  necessary  money  for  the  voyage  without  their 
having  to  again  enter  a  town.  But  once  in  Holland,  even 
greater  prudence  had  to  be  exercised.  Before  arriving  at 
any  town  the  young  men  would  leave  the  diligence  and, 
armed  with  walking-sticks,  mingle  with  the  crowd  on  foot. 
This  ruse  carried  out  with  assurance  passed  them  through 
the  gates  without  attracting  the  attention  of  the  author- 
ities. Peter  De  Smet  and  his  companions  reached  Amster- 
dam on  July  26th,  where  Father  Nerinckx  had  arranged 

27  From  Father  De  Smet's  manuscripts. 


18       THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

accommodations  for  them.  Here  also  their  meager  funds 
for  the  voyage  were  substantially  added  to  through  the 
generosity  of  certain  Catholic  families  interested  in 
American  missions. 28 

Before  long  the  nine  young  men  were  assembled  at  their 
meeting-place  and  in  a  few  days  were  to  set  sail.  The 
chance  of  their  being  detected  seemed  very  slight  in  this 
large  city  where  so  many  strangers  foregathered  amid 
much  coming  and  going,  and  Peter  was  much  buoyed  up 
by  the  propitious  beginning  and  the  nearness  of  departure, 
but  an  unlooked-for  incident  which  befell  him  almost  dis- 
organized his  plans  as  well  as  those  of  his  companions. 
Despite  all  precautions  taken  by  the  fugitives,  news  of 
their  project  had  spread  abroad  in  Belgium  and  their 
respective  families  were  at  their  wits'  end  for  some  means 
to  stay  their  departure. 

Joost  De  Smet,  we  know,  was  capable  of  a  sacrifice,  and 
in  other  circumstances  might  have  considered  it  an  honor 
to  pledge  to  God  the  flower  of  his  offspring,  but  being 
aware  of  his  son's  impulsive  and  somewhat  fanciful  dis- 
position, and  making  due  allowance  for  lofty  motives,  he 
could  not  but  question  the  prudence  of  his  decision.  He 
felt  that  the  boy  had  acted  precipitately.  The  voyage  ap- 
peared to  him  merely  the  beginning  of  an  adventurous 
career  that  would  end  badly.  There  seemed  but  one 
proper  course  open  to  him  and  he  accordingly  dispatched 
his  son  Charles,  armed  with  parental  authority  and  in- 
structions to  bring  back  the  runaway  by  force  if  necessary. 
Charles  duly  arrived  in  Amsterdam,  went  to  the  City  Hall 
for  information  as  to  his  brother's  whereabouts  and  after 
vain  enquiries  proceeded  forth  upon  a  random  search. 
Faring  up  one  street  and  down  another,  interrogating  a 
stranger  or  a  native  from  time  to  time,  he  seemed  to  make 
no  headway — and  then  the  much-to-be-desired  result  came 
to  pass.  Suddenly  and  without  warning  while  crossing  a 
bridge  he  came  face  to  face  with  Peter.  The  latter,  in  no 
wise  disconcerted,  was  minded  to  settle  the  whole  question 
upon  the  spot — but  Charles  did  not  consider  the  place 
propitious  for  an  interview  and  prevailed  upon  Peter  to 

28  Father  De  Smet  was  particularly  grateful  all  his  life  to  the  Roothaan, 
Van  Has,  Van  Damme,  and  Koedijk  families. 


DEPARTURE  FOR  AMERICA  19 

conduct  him  to  the  rendezvous  of  the  conspirators — nothing 
more  or  less  than  a  garret  which  he  was  sharing  with  his 
three   companions. 

Charles  lost  no  time  in  setting  forth  the  object  of  his 
mission,  but,  knowing  his  brother's  character  too  well  to 
try  to  intimidate  him,  he  made  an  appeal  to  the  kindness 
of  his  heart.  He  described  to  Peter,  the  anguish  into 
which  their  loved  ones  at  home  had  been  plunged  by  the 
prospect  of  his  departure.  He  pictured  the  home  bereft 
of  its  mother;  their  lonely  father  in  his  eighty-fifth  year, 
whom  the  shock  of  separation  would  probably  hasten  to 
his  end.  How  could  he  have  the  heart  to  leave  without 
seeing  them  all  once  more?  Were  Peter  truly  heeding 
God's  call  to  a  foreign  mission  no  one  would  oppose  his 
real  vocation.  Was  it  not  possible  to  wait  a  few  years 
and  mature  his  plans,  comfort  his  father's  declining  years 
and  remain  at  home  until  he  had  closed  his  eyes  in  death? 
Peter  listened  to  his  brother's  appeal  without  once  in- 
terrupting. He  was  deeply  moved  while  hearing  of  the 
grief  of  his  family,  but  so  inflexible  was  his  resolution  that 
he  not  only  never  wavered,  but  vouchsafed  a  reply  so 
eloquent  with  sound  reason  and  earnestness  that  Charles, 
instead  of  opposing  him,  actually  ended  by  placing  a 
large  sum  of  money  at  his  disposal. 

Amsterdam  now  could  no  longer  shelter  them  in  com- 
plete security,  so  the  fugitives  forsook  their  garret  to  go 
aboard  the  ship  which  was  to  carry  them  a  portion  of  the 
way,  the  captain  being  already  won  over  to  their  cause. 
July  31st  saw  them  on  their  way  down  the  Zuider  Zee, 
but  before  the  anchor  wras  weighed  Peter,  as  a  last  proof 
of  his  filial  devotion  and  as  a  consolation  to  his  bereaved 
family,  addressed  a  farewell  epistle  to  his  father.  "It 
seems  needless  to  assure  you  of  the  tender  love  I  bear  you," 
he  wrote.  "Believe  me,  I  love  you  deeply,  although  the 
sorrow  I  am  about  to  cause  you  may  lead  you  to  doubt  my 
affection.  The  religion  to  which  you  are  so  sincerely 
attached  will  dry  your  tears  and  fill  your  heart  with  joy. 
How  is  it  possible  that  you  are  inconsolable  because  one 
of  your  children  is  giving  himself  to  God's  service  and 
putting  into  practice  the  lessons  you  have  taught?  ...  It 
would  have  been  my  greatest  happiness  to  spend  this  short 


20      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

life  with  you,  but  God  calls  me  and  I  must  obey.  Every 
day  we  say  to  God,  'Thy  will  be  done  on  earth' — well — 
to-day  our  hearts  must  echo  these  words  which  our  lips 
pronounce.  May  the  submission  of  our  will  to  God's 
designs  render  us  capable  of  every  sacrifice!"  After 
again  protesting  the  deep  affection  he  bore  him  whom  he 
called  "the  best  of  fathers"  he  reassured  his  family  in  the 
following  words:  "We  are  embarking  with  confidence,  en- 
couraged by  the  captain's  kindness,  the  sturdiness  of  the  ship, 
which  is  quite  new,  and  yet  chiefly  by  our  trust  and  faith 
in  the  providence  of  Him  who  never  abandons  His  own." 
On  the  evening  of  August  2d  the  ship  reached  Texel 
Island.  The  young  missionaries  were  hospitably  received 
into  a  Catholic  household  recommended  to  them  by  their 
friends  in  Amsterdam.  Here  Father  Nerinckx  joined 
them,  as  he  had  come  by  a  different  route  to  avoid  sus- 
picion. He  even  lodged  under  a  different  roof  on  account 
of  the  disquieting  rumors  that  the  police  were  in  pursuit 
under  orders  to  arrest  and  prevent  them  from  continuing 
the  voyage.  Twelve  days  of  irksome  suspense  were 
passed  here  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  ship  that  was  to 
finally  take  the  little  party  to  America,  and  yet  Peter 
De  Smet's  letters  show  us  that  he  at  least  felt  no  appre- 
hension. "God  be  praised!"  he  writes  to  his  father,  "we 
have  all  arrived  at  Texel  in  good  health  after  making  a 
passage  down  the  Zuider  Zee,  and  we  now  hope  to  land 
safely  at  Philadelphia.  I  wish  I  could  describe  to  you  how 
pleasant  the  voyage  has  been.  At  night  the  roaring  of 
the  waves  as  they  splashed  on  the  decks  and  the  clattering 
of  the  rigging  reminded  one  of  the  chimes  at  Termonde. 
Nothing,  however,  prevents  me  from  sleeping  like  a  dor- 
mouse, nor  yet  from  singing  in  the  morning  like  a  young 
nightingale.  But  at  times  I  weep,  though  God  the 
Supreme  Comforter  dries  my  tears  by  permitting  me  a 
glimpse  of  the  great  reward.  'I  have  called  you,'  He  says, 
'who  can  resist?'  It  was  a  bitter  trial  that  I  felt  deterred 
from  telling  you  of  my  departure  and  my  future  plans,, 
and  to  be  obliged  to  leave  without  your  blessing  has 
caused  me  cruel  suffering.  I  was  convinced  that  you 
would  never  consent  to  my  departure,  and  for  this  reason 
and  upon  the  advice  of  a  wise  and  disinterested  man,  I 


DEPARTURE  FOR  AMERICA  21 

decided  to  leave  without  seeing  you.  Conquer  your  sorrow, 
my  dear  father,  and  say  to  yourself  the  All-Powerful  has 
decided  this  affair.  .  .  .  The  voyage  to  Philadelphia  is  no 
more  hazardous  than  a  trip  to  Sac-a-Houblon  to  play  a 
game  of  cards.  We  cross  the  ocean  with  the  same  feeling 
of  security  that  the  children  of  Israel  experienced  during 
their  passage  through  the  Red  Sea." 

The  half-grave  tone  of  this  letter  might  give  the  impres- 
sion that  Peter  De  Smet  never  realized  how  great  a  sacri- 
fice he  imposed  upon  his  family.  In  reality  he  was  haunted 
by  the  knowledge.  Thinking  that  their  parish  priest 
could  better  than  himself  persuade  his  father  to  consent 
to  his  departure,  he  wrote  a  touching  letter  in  Latin, 
begging  him  to  visit  and  console  his  father.  The  separa- 
tion caused  Peter  intense  suffering.  He  wrote  to  Father 
Van  Boxelaere  on  August  10th,  saying:  "Charles  tried  to 
prevent  our  departure,  but  reason  and  religion  soon  won 
him  over  to  our  side.  He  wept  bitter  tears  and  I  wept 
with  him;  for  what  could  be  more  heartrending  than  to 
leave  the  old  father  I  love  tenderly,  sisters  and  brothers 
who  are  dear  to  me,  friends  and  the  good  things  of  life? 
But  God  calls  me  and  I  must  obey."  He  continues  in 
this  grave  strain,  which  supposes  a  knowledge  of  life  rare 
at  his  age:  "O  Vanity  of  vanities!  How  strong  are  the 
ties  of  earthly  things?  Should  it  be  God's  will  that  I 
return  to  Europe,  I  wonder  if  those  who  are  now  so  sad- 
dened by  my  departure  will  greet  me  with  joy?  Man 
changes  and  so  easily  forms  new  ties  and  habits  and  we 
occupy  such  a  small  place  even  in  the  hearts  of  our  friends!" 

These  letters  are  the  beginning  of  a  correspondence  that 
lasted  fifty  years,  and  shows  not  the  least  trace  of  indif- 
ference or  diminished  affection  for  his  family.  Could 
Joost  De  Smet  have  known  through  these  letters  the 
sentiments  that  animated  his  son  at  that  time,  he  would 
have  understood  how  he  was  obeying  an  impulse  that  had 
little  to  do  with  love  of  adventure.  But  unfortunately 
these  letters  never  reached  their  destination 29  and  not 
even  the  account  given  by  Charles  of  his  interview  with 

29  These  letters,  written  in  Flemish,  were  seven  in  number.  They  had  been 
given  to  Father  Buelens  of  Antwerp,  and  only  after  his  death  in  1868  were 
they  by  chance  found  among  his  papers. 


22      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Peter  could  mitigate  the  bitterness  of  the  old  ship-builder. 
It  required  actual  results  in  missionary  work  and  the 
first  letters  he  received  from  America  to  finally  convince 
him  that  his  son  had  obeyed  a  divine  call. 

The  vessel  so  anxiously  awaited  at  Texel  arrived  at 
length.  She  was  an  American  brig  called  the  Columbia. 
Dutch  law  required  that  officials  should  visit  every  ship 
and  examine  all  passports,  a  provision  that  somewhat  com- 
plicated the  embarkation  of  our  young  men.  Fortunately 
for  them,  some  Amsterdam  friends  who  accompanied 
them  succeeded  in  securing  the  cooperation  of  the  captain, 
and  the  arrangements  were  made  whereby  the  missionaries 
were  not  to  go  aboard  in  the  regular  way,  but  were  to  be 
picked  up  from  a  fishing-boat  after  the  ship  had  put  to  sea. 
The  Columbia  weighed  anchor  at  night  and,  accordingly, 
a  short  distance  out  hove  to  and  took  the  fugitives  aboard, 
to  their  unfeigned  joy  and  relief.  Henceforth  there  was 
nothing  to  fear,  and  they  could  send  from  a  distance  their 
felicitations  to  the  police  of  King  William.  The  day  of 
their  sailing  was  August  15th,  the  feast  of  the  Assumption. 
The  date  was  of  good  omen,  and  to  Peter  De  Smet  it  par- 
took of  a  privilege  that  he  was  enabled  to  begin  his  career 
under  the  protection  of  the  Queen  of  heaven. 

The  Columbia  encountered  heavy  weather  in  the  North 
Sea  and  our  missionary  tells  us  that  he,  like  the  majority 
of  the  passengers,  "paid  tribute  to  inexorable  Neptune," 
but  on  the  whole  the  crossing  was  not  altogether  bad. 
The  nine  young  men  were  given  over  to  visions  of  them- 
selves in  the  performance  of  their  apostolic  work  and  the 
accomplishment  of  great  things  in  the  future.  Father 
Nerinckx  kept  their  zeal  and  enthusiasm  aroused  with 
anticipation  of  a  wonderful  harvest  of  souls.  This  was,  for 
the  embryo  missionaries,  the  beginning  of  their  apprentice- 
ship to  the  ministry,  and  the  older  missionary  did  not  fail 
to  strengthen  his  vivid  recitals  of  life  and  color  with 
lessons  drawn  from  his  experience  and  the  inspiring 
example  of  his  own  upright  life.  Austerity  was  the  domi- 
nant note  in  his  regime,  but  it  neither  alarmed  the  ardent 
neophytes  nor  abated  their  zeal. 

When  the  Columbia  finally  entered  the  Delaware  River 


DEPARTURE   FOR  AMERICA  23 

and  went  to  her  moorings  at  Philadelphia  she  had  been 
forty-two  days  out  from  Texel  Island.  The  young  Bel- 
gians were  totally  unprepared  for  the  wonders  that  were 
revealed  in  their  first  glimpse  of  the  Quaker  City.  They 
had  imagined  America  to  be  a  country  devoid  of  any  save 
the  most  rudimentary  marks  of  civilization,  and  instead 
they  beheld  a  city  which  in  area  and  population,  in  point 
of  architecture,  public  buildings,  and  the  number  of 
churches,  surpassed  many  of  the  cities  of  Europe.  It 
took  no  great  lapse  of  time,  however,  to  teach  them  that 
their  view  of  Philadelphia  comprehended  but  a  very  small 
part  of  America  and  at  the  same  time  a  very  large  portion 
of  its  civilization.  If  that  part  of  the  United  States  on 
the  Atlantic  seaboard  were  a  land  of  "the  strenuous  life," 
there  lay,  indeed,  beyond  the  Alleghany  Mountains  an 
immense  territory  the  inhabitants  of  which  were  living  ' '  in 
darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death." 

From  Philadelphia  the  missionaries  went  to  Baltimore, 
where  Archbishop  Marechal  received  them  most  cordially. 
Here  Father  Nerinckx  left  the  little  band  and  took  up  once 
more  his  work  in  Kentucky.  "We  parted  from  him," 
wrote  Peter  De  Smet,  "filled  with  veneration  and  esteem 
for  his  character  both  as  a  priest  and  as  a  man.  The  wise 
counsels  he  never  tired  of  giving  us,  and  the  example  of 
his  virtue  which  we  were  privileged  to  behold  during  a 
journey  of  forty-two  days,  will  ever  remain  fresh  in  the 
memories  of  his  .young  companions."30 

Father  Veulemans  and  young  Van  Horzig,  who  had 
come  over  to  be  associated  with  the  missions  directed  by  the 
secular  clergy,  remained  in  Baltimore  and  placed  themselves 
at  the  service  of  the  Archbishop.31  The  others,  seven 
in  number,  tarried  but  one  day  and  then  proceeded  to 
Georgetown,  where  they  presented  themselves  to  Father 
Kohlmann,  the  Superior  of  the  Jesuits  in  the  United  States. 
This  priest  was  so  impressed  with  the  solidity  of  the  vocations 
which  could  overcome  obstacles  and  face  such  trials,  that 
he  received  the  young  men  with  open  arms  and  afterward 
sent  them  to  Whitemarsh  to  enter  upon  their  novitiates. 

30  Selected  Letters,  2d  series,  p.  250. 

31  Father  Van  Horzig  died  in  Washington,  D.  C,  after  having  labored  zeal- 
ously for  many  years  as  parish  priest  of  St.  Peter's. 


CHAPTER   II 

THE     NOVITIATE — ARRIVAL    OF    THE    JESUITS     IN    MISSOURI 

(1821-1823) 

The  Jesuits  in  New  France  and  Maryland — Bishop  Carroll — Whitemarsh — 
Father  Van  Quickenborne — Peter  De  Smet  at  the  Novitiate — De- 
parture for  Missouri — "A  Floating  Monastery" — Florissant — Madam 
Duchesne — "Samson,"  Architect  and  Carpenter — First  Vows. 

THE  American  Missions,  from  their  very  beginning, 
attracted  great  numbers  from  the  Society  of  Jesus. 
Jesuits  were  the  early  explorers  of  New  France  and  gave 
to  it  its  first  martyrs.  "The  history  of  their  labors," 
says  a  Protestant  writer,  "is  connected  with  the  origin 
of  every  celebrated  town  in  the  annals  of  French  America : 
not  a  cape  was  turned,  nor  a  river  entered,  but  a  Jesuit 
led  the  way."1  While  Fathers  Jogues,  de  Brebeuf,  and 
Lalemant  shed  their  blood  upon  the  shores  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  Father  Marquette  in  a  bark  canoe  explored 
the  course  of  the  Mississippi  as  far  as  the  Arkansas.  Like 
their  confreres  of  France,  the  English  Jesuits,  who  in  1634 
came  to  Maryland  with  Lord  Baltimore,  were  not  only 
missionaries  of  a  heroic  type,  but  were  possessed  of  a 
genius  for  civilizing.  "We  have  not  come  to  make  war," 
said  Fathers  White  and  Altham  to  the  Indians,  "but  to 
teach  you  the  law  of  grace  and  love,  and  to  live  with  you 
as  brothers."  They  spread  the  light  of  Christianity  from 
the  Great  Lakes  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  At  their  recital 
of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  the  Abenaki,  the  Iroquois,  the 
Hurons,  the  Illinois,  and  the  Natchez  put  aside  their  feroc- 
ity, buried  the  tomahawk,  and  felled  the  most  beautiful 
trees  of  the  forest  to  build  ' '  prayer  lodges. ' '  The  day  came 
when  fanaticism  undertook  to  undo  the  work  of  the  mis- 
Bancroft's  "  History  of  the  United  States,"  Boston,  1852,  Vol.  xi,  p. 
122. 


THE  NOVITIATE  25 

sionaries.  The  Catholics  of  Maryland  saw  their  goods, 
their  laws,  their  churches,  their  schools,  and  their  children 
taken  from  them.  The  Indian  congregations  were  slaugh- 
tered— the  Jesuits  themselves,  through  a  brief  of  Clement 
XIV,  were  dispersed. 

In  1776  the  War  of  Independence  liberated  the  American 
Colonies  from  England's  yoke  of  oppression.  Soon  after 
the  war  Washington  addressed  these  words  to  the  Catho- 
lics of  the  Original  States  of  the  Union:  "...  may  the 
members  of  your  society  in  America,  animated  alone  by 
the  pure  spirit  of  Christianity,  and  still  conducting  them- 
selves as  faithful  subjects  of  our  Government,  enjoy  every 
temporal  and  spiritual  felicity."2  An  era  of  peace  was 
then  inaugurated,  and  Catholics,  profiting  by  the  change, 
petitioned  the  Pope  to  make  Baltimore  an  episcopal  see. 

On  August  15,  1790,  in  the  private  chapel  of  an  English 
manor  house,  John  Carroll,  the  newly  -  elected  Bishop, 
was  consecrated.  He  belonged  to  the  Society  of  Jesus, 
and  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  where  his  family  had 
fought  valiantly  for  liberty.  The  Bishop  of  the  United 
States  at  that  time  presided  over  a  diocese  fifteen  hundred 
leagues  long  by  eight  hundred  leagues  wide,  containing  a 
population  of  forty  thousand  Catholics  and  from  three 
to  four  million  Protestants.  His  clergy  numbered  some 
thirty,  several  of  whom  had  belonged,  like  himself,  to  the 
Society  of  Jesus. 

It  was  not  long  ere  the  Revolution  and  religious  persecu- 
tion in  France  and  Belgium  caused  the  immigration  to 
America  of  many  missionaries  well  qualified  for  hardships, 
and  whose  fidelity  to  duty  was  paramount  to  a  love  of  the 
fatherland.  The  Sulpicians  undertook  the  establishment 
and  direction  of  a  large  seminary,  and  among  these  priests 
were  eminent  men,  of  whom  several  became  Bishops. 
Bishop  Carroll,  however,  was  longing  to  see  the  Jesuits 
re-established  in  his  diocese,  and  on  May  25,  1803,  he  wrote 
to  Father  Gruber,  Superior  of  the  Jesuits  in  Russia: 
"From  the  letters  of  many  of  our  faithful  we  have  learned 
with  joy  that,  by  a  miracle,  as  it  were,  the  Society  has  been 
saved  and  exists  still  in  Russia.     We  know  the  Sovereign 

2  Rupp,  "History  of  the  Religious  Denominations  of  the  United  States," 
p.  165. 
3 


26      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.  J. 

Pontiff  recognizes  it  and  that  he  has  issued  a  brief  which 
authorizes  your  Paternity  to  readmit  those  who  formerly 
belonged  to  the  institution.  Nearly  all  our  old  Fathers 
entreat  to  be  allowed  to  renew  the  vows  they  made  to 
God  when  in  the  Society.  They  ask  to  end  their  days  with- 
in its  fold  and  consecrate  their  declining  years  to  building 
it  up  in  this  country  should  such  be  the  will  of  God." 

The  good  Bishop  did  not  write  in  vain.  Father  Gruber 
replied,  granting  the  desired  permission,  and  the  former 
Jesuits  of  America  were  restored  to  their  previous  status. 
Father  Molyneux  was  appointed  Superior  with  authority 
to  receive  novices.  In  1806,  at  Georgetown,  Bishop  Car- 
roll opened  the  first  college  of  the  restored  Society.  It 
proved  a  success  from  the  start,  and  in  181 5,  a  few  months 
before  the  death  of  its  founder,  it  was  granted  the  title 
and  charter  of  a  university.3 

The  novitiate  was  at  first  an  annex  of  the  college, 
but  later  on  the  Fathers  were  able  to  secure  for  it  a  more 
retired  location.  The  Jesuits  for  some  time  had  been 
proprietors  of  a  large  plantation  at  Whitemarsh.  Situated 
as  it  was,  twenty-four  miles  from  Georgetown,  in  a  salu- 
brious district,  surrounded  by  vineyards,  prairies,  and 
forests,  with  a  large  and  commodious  house  upon  it,  it 
lent  itself  easily  to  the  requirements  of  a  novitiate.  The 
novices  were  transferred  there  in  the  spring  of  18 19. 

It  was  October  6,  182 1,  when  Peter  De  Smet  and  his 
companions  arrived  at  Whitemarsh.  Father  Van  Quicken- 
borne  of  heroic  memory,  a  native  of  Belgium  also,  was 
Master  of  Novices  at  the  time.  He  had  been  born  in 
the  village  of  Peteghem  in  the  diocese  of  Ghent  on  Janu- 
ary 21,  1788,  and  in  181 2  received  his  ordination  as  a 
secular  priest.  Following  this  came  his  appointment  as  a 
professor  at  the  Preparatory  Seminary  of  Roulers  and 
later  that  of  vicar  of  St.  Denis  near  Courtrai.  When  the 
Jesuits  opened  a  novitiate  at  Rumbeke  4  the  young  priest 

3  Cf.  John  Gilmary  Shea,  "History  of  Georgetown  College."  Washington, 
1 89 1,  Chap.  iv. 

4  Concerning  the  novitiate  of  Rumbeke,  see  "Life  of  Father  Helias 
d'Huddeghem,"  by  A.  Lebrocquy,  S.  J.,  Ghent,  1878;   Chap.  ii. 


THE  NOVITIATE  27 

sought  admission  to  the  Society.  This  was  granted  and  he 
had  no  sooner  completed  his  noviceship  than  he  obtained 
permission  from  the  Father-General  to  devote  his  activities 
to  the  missions  in  America.  Father  Van  Quickenborne  ar- 
rived in  Maryland  at  the  close  of  the  year  181 7,  and  in 
1 8 19  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  novices  at  Whitemarsh. 
Archbishop  Marechal  said  of  him:  "Father  Van  Quicken- 
borne  is  a  saint.  The  only  fault  I  can  find  with  him  is 
that  he  neglects  his  health."5 

Superior  and  Master  of  Novices,  Father  Van  Quicken- 
borne  was  at  the  same  time  farmer,  carpenter,  and  mason. 
He  managed  the  plantation  and  the  negroes  that  worked  it ; 
and  the  two  churches,  one  for  the  novitiate  and  the  other 
at  Annapolis,  eighteen  miles  away,  were  the  products  of 
his  own  skill  and  supervision.  Endowed  with  prodigious 
energy,  he  also  found  time  to  travel  through  a  vast  extent 
of  country,  laboring  as  a  missionary  among  Catholics  and 
Protestants  alike.  Every  fortnight  he  went  to  Annapolis 
to  say  Mass.  He  regularly  visited  the  sick  and  the  poor 
and  devoted  a  portion  of  his  time  to  the  instruction  and 
encouragement  of  the  negroes,  whose  cause  he  espoused. 
He  possessed  the  true  spirit  of  a  missionary,  and  his  zealous 
soul  was  rewarded  with  the  satisfaction  of  numerous  con- 
versions. His  view  of  life  is  aptly  shown  by  a  comment 
which  he  was  wont  to  utter  frequently:  "How  consoling 
it  is  to  work  with  the  angels  for  the  happiness  and  salvation 
of  men!"  In  order  that  the  novices  might  better  compre- 
hend and  share  his  elation  he  would  announce  a  holiday 
and  give  them  a  repast  whenever  a  hundredth  convert 
was  added  to  his  flock. 

At  such  times  as  Father  Van  Quickenborne  was  called 
away  by  the  exigencies  of  his  missionary  work,  his  place 
was  filled  by  his  assistant,  Father  Peter  Timmermans.  This 
priest  was  a  Belgian,  a  native  of  Turnhout  in  the  province 
of  Antwerp.  He  was  twenty-nine  years  of  age  and  had 
come  out  to  America,  a  priest,  with  Father  Nerinckx  in 
181 7.  His  virtuous  character  was  an  inspiring  association 
for  Father  Van  Quickenborne,  and  his  premature  death 
removed  from   the   society  of   the  novices   an   influence 

6  Letter  to  Mr.  De  Theux,  Nov.  22,  1821. 


28      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

which    caused   his   memory   to  be   deeply  venerated   by 
them.6 

The  following  letter  gives  an  account  of  Father  De  Smet's 
entrance  into  the  novitiate:  "You  suffered  deeply,"  he 
wrote  his  family,  "when  I  left  you  without  a  word  of  fare- 
well. Grieve  no  longer — God  was  calling  me  and  I  had 
to  follow  Him.  ...  If  you  only  knew  how  happy  I  am  in 
the  place  where  God  has  deigned  to  place  me!  Far  from 
the  tumult  of  the  city  and  sheltered  from  the  corrupting 
influence  of  the  world  my  life  passes  in  serene  and  tranquil 
days.  Here  is  the  beginning  of  that  golden  age  I  used 
to  dream  about  when  reading  Virgil's  Pastorals.  My  time 
is  spent  in  serving  God,  imploring  His  mercy  for  the  re- 
mission of  my  sins,  begging  for  grace  to  persevere,  and 
praying  for  your  happiness."7  Time  served  not  to  cool 
his  ardor.  The  vigilant  repression  of  an  inflammable 
temper,  the  long  retreats,  the  minutiae  of  religious  routine, 
unceasing  labor,  and  the  interior  work  of  the  soul  striving 
for  self-mastery  were  all  doubtless  vexations  to  his  ardent 
nature,  yet  in  the  observance  of  the  rules  of  his  Society 
he  was  never  known  to  relax. 

Letters  written  by  him  at  that  time  throw  considerable 
light  on  his  moral  attitude  and  the  character  of  his  piety. 
It  does  not  seem  that  he  was  taken  up  by  the  speculative 
study  of  virtue,  but  rather  that  he  sought  after  practicality 
according  to  the  maxim  of  Bossuet:  "Woe  to  sterile 
knowledge  that  leads  not  to  love  and  betrays  itself." 
His  simple,  sincere  piety  was  neither  strained  nor  studied. 
Prayer,  to  Father  De  Smet,  -  like  study,  was  a  means  of 
preparing  for  action  and  of  rendering  it  fruitful.  He 
prayed  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  with  an  abandonment  and 
confidence  almost  childlike  in  its  simplicity,  begging  her 
to  bless  his  missionary  career.     Together  with  some  of 

6  "We  never  speak  of  Father  Timmermans,"  wrote  Joost  Van  Assche  some 
time  later,  "without  expressing  our  admiration  for  his  great  humility,  his 
obedience,  piety,  and  exact  observance  of  the  rules.  One  word  from  his  Su- 
perior was  sufficient  and  he  would  go  forth  no  matter  where  and  without 
a  penny  in  his  pocket.  However  numerous  his  occupations,  he  found  time 
every  day  to  visit  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  Before  starting  out  on  a  mission 
he  would  prostrate  himself  before  the  altar,  and  when  he  returned,  no  matter 
how  wet  and  cold  he  might  be,  he  would  get  off  his  horse,  greet  us,  and 
go  straightway  to  the  chapel."     (Letter  to  Mr.  De  Nef,  Dec.  4,  1825.) 

7  Whitemarsh,  Oct.  18,  1821. 


THE  NOVITIATE  29 

his  fellow-workers  he  became  an  apostle  of  the  Rosary 
in  the  country  about  Whitemarsh,  and  he  was  to  learn 
later  that  for  every  Rosary  distributed  by  his  band  the 
reward  was  one  Protestant  converted  to  Catholicity.8 
Peter  De  Smet's  happy  nature,  which  in  Belgium  had  won 
him  the  affection  of  his  schoolmates,  was  still  evident  in  the 
Jesuit  novice.  His  uprightness,  rare  common  sense,  and 
great  delicacy  of  feeling  were  admired  and  appreciated; 
his  characteristic  virtue — simplicity — was  at  this  time 
already  manifesting  itself — "that  candor  of  soul  which 
seeks  virtue,  duty,  and  God  alone."9 

The  Society  of  Jesus  was  for  him  "the  tenderest  of 
mothers,  giving  happiness  to  all  who  seek  refuge  within  her 
fold,"10  but  not,  however,  to  an  extent  that  eclipsed  his 
affection  for  his  family.  The  irregularity  of  the  foreign 
mails  left  Peter  two  years  without  news  from  Belgium. 
"Your  silence,"  he  wrote  his  father,  "is  a  great  sorrow 
to  me.  I  am  unable  to  discover  the  reason  of  it.  I 
imagine  that  perhaps  the  letters  in  which  I  endeavored 
to  justify  my  course  of  action  have  displeased  you.  Alas! 
dear  father,  is  it  then  so  reprehensible  a  thing  for  one  to 
obey  the  voice  of  God?"11 

Eventually,  however,  the  long-awaited  letters  arrived: 
"I  have  received  three  of  your  letters  with  the  money 
which  you  have  had  the  goodness  to  send  me.  I  was 
beginning  to  despair  of  hearing  from  you  when  they  came 
to  hand.  Nothing  could  so  rejoice  my  heart  as  your  sub- 
mission to  God's  will.  He  wishes  me  to  be  in  America 
not  only  to  labor  for  my  own  salvation,  but,  should  I  prove 
worthy,  for  the  salvation  of  others  as  well." 

"I  can  never  forget,"  wrote  his  father,  "that  you  left 
without  telling  me" — words  which  Peter  could  not  read 
without  weeping.  "Dear  father,"  he  writes  again,  "God 
alone  knows  what  it  cost  me  to  leave  you  as  I  did;  but 
after  all  was  I  not  right?  Reflect  for  a  moment  and  I 
am  sure,  considering  the  circumstances,  you  will  not 
condemn  me.  Had  I  told  you  of  my  departure  and 
gone  to  say  good-by  to  you,  what  would  you  not  have 
done  to  prevent  my  going,  or  at  least  to  persuade  me  to 

8  Whitemarsh,  Dec.  27,  1822.  10  Letter  of  Aug.  26,  1823. 

9  St.  Francis  de  Sales.  u  Ibid. 


3o      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

wait  for  a  few  years?  I  foresaw  everything  and  feared 
the  urgent  promptings  of  human  nature,  which  so  often 
triumph  when  we  expose  ourselves  to  their  assaults.  I 
should  not  have  been  the  first  who,  through  yielding  to  the 
tears  and  insistence  of  parents  and  friends,  stepped  aside 
from  his  vocation.  .  .  .  Was  it  not  my  duty  to  trample  on 
my  natural  affections,  rather  than  expose  myself  to  the 
loss  of  that  happiness  I  came  to  seek  in  this  distant  land? 
I  have  already  been  abundantly  compensated  for  all  I 
sacrificed  to  acquire  it."12 

Peter  De  Smet  had  been  eighteen  months  at  Whitemarsh 
novitiate  when  an  unforeseen  circumstance  brought  him 
in  touch  with  the  field  of  his  future  apostolate.  For  some 
time  past  Bishop  Dubourg  of  New  Orleans  had  urged  the 
Jesuits  to  found  a  mission  for  the  Indian  tribes  in  Missouri.13 
At  the  beginning  of  1823  he  renewed  his  entreaties  and, 
this  time,  to  Father  Charles  Neale,  who  had  succeeded 
Father  Kohlmann  as  Provincial  of  the  Maryland  Province, 
he  offered  by  way  of  a  gift  to  the  Society  a  large  and  pro- 
ductive farm  near  the  village  of  Florissant,  sixteen  miles 
from  St.  Louis.  Economic  conditions  at  Whitemarsh  had 
come  to  such  a  pass  as  to  make  Bishop  Dubourg 's  offer 
seem  providential.  Improper  rotation  of  crops — wheat  and 
tobacco  having  been  the  only  alternates  for  years — had  so 
impoverished  the  soil  of  the  plantation  that  revenues  suf- 
ficient to  maintain  the  institution  were  no  longer  possible, 
and  as  the  Maryland  Province  was  too  poor  to  support 
the  twenty  young  novices,  a  plan  was  already  under 
consideration  for  the  removal  of  the  novitia*te  to  a  more 
favorable  region. 

Father  Neale  gladly  accepted  Bishop  Dubourg' s  offer 
and  thereupon  appointed  Father  Van  Quickenborne 
Superior  of  the  new  mission.  Father  Timmermans  was 
selected  to  accompany  him,  and  also  given  authority  to 

12  Letter  of  Dec.  8,  1823. 

13  Born  in  St.  Domingo  in  1776,  William  Dubourg  was  ordained  priest  in 
Paris,  and  afterward  joined  the  Society  of  St.  Sulpice.  In  1796  he  came  to 
America.  Bishop  Carroll  appointed  him  head  of  Georgetown  College,  and 
later  on  he  founded  St.  Mary's  College  at  Baltimore.  In  181 5  he  was  made 
Bishop  of  New  Orleans.  He  labored  zealously  in  his  diocese,  which  com- 
prised nearly  the  whole  of  the  basin  of  the  Mississippi  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river  to  St.  Louis  and  beyond  into  the  Indian  country. 


THE  NOVITIATE  31 

take  with  him  those  novices  who  showed  special  fitness 
and  natural  inclination  for  Indian  missionary  work. 
Father  Van  Quickenborne  announced  the  project  to  his 
community  and  without  a  moment's  hesitation  seven 
Flemish  novices  volunteered.  Nothing,  they  said,  could 
give  them  greater  happiness  than  to  consecrate  their  lives 
to  the  education  and  salvation  of  the  Indians;  for  this 
purpose  they  had  come  to  America  and  they  were  gratified 
to  be  the  first  called.  The  Master  of  Novices,  being 
satisfied  as  to  their  earnestness,  accepted  their  offer  to 
accompany  him  to  Missouri.  Three  lay  Brothers  also 
formed  part  of  the  band:  Brothers  Peter  De  Meyer  of 
Grammont,  Henry  Reiselman  of  Amsterdam,  and  Charles 
Strahan  of  Maryland.  To  complete  the  efficiency  of  the 
personnel  the  Superior  chose  from  among  the  negroes 
attached  to  the  plantation  three  families  to  work  the  farm 
at  Florissant. 

Peter  De  Smet,  his  fondest  dream  realized,  wrote  to  his 
family  at  Termonde:  "For  some  time  past  Bishop  Du- 
bourg  of  New  Orleans  has  wanted  the  missionaries  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus  to  begin  the  conversion  of  the  Indians, 
large  numbers  of  them  being  idolaters  and  still  larger 
numbers  being  without  laws  or  religion.  He  has  now 
obtained  twelve  of  us — eleven  Belgians  and  one  American. 
I  thank  God  I  am  one  of  those  chosen.  .  .  .  Pray  for  me 
and  my  companions  that  God  may  deign  to  bless  our 
enterprise."14  Bishop  Dubourg  asked  Father  Van  Quick- 
enborne how  he  would  accomplish  the  journey,  as,  much 
to  his  regret,  he  was  not  in  a  position  to  furnish  him  with 
funds  for  that  purpose.  "Don't  worry,"  was  the  cheerful 
reply,  "we  will  go  on  foot  and  beg  our  food;  all  my  little 
band  are  of  one  mind  as  to  this."15 

April  nth  was  the  day  appointed  for  their  departure, 
and  the  missionaries  started  at  sunrise,  arriving  by  night- 
fall at  Baltimore  where  the  final  preparations  for  the  trip 
were  to  be  made.  Father  Van  Quickenborne  hired  two 
wagons,  each  drawn  by  six  horses,  to  transport  the  baggage 
to  Wheeling  on   the   Ohio   River.     He  had   also   a  light 

14  Baltimore,  April  12,  1823. 

16  Letter  of  Bishop  Dubourg  to  his  brother,  Georgetown,  March  17,  1823. 
(Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  Vol.  i,  No.  5,  p.  41.) 


32      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

wagon  brought  from  Whitemarsh  in  which  the  missionaries 
could  travel  in  case  illness  or  excessive  fatigue  rendered  any 
of  them  incapable  of  continuing  on  foot.  When  they 
started  off  with  that  simple  and  inadequate  equipment  to 
open  a  mission  to  savages  fifteen  hundred  miles  distant, 
our  young  men  little  dreamed  they  were  going  to  found 
in  the  center  of  the  United  States  a  new  province  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus;  that  at  St.  Louis  they  would  establish 
a  flourishing  university;  that  they  would  erect  numerous 
colleges,  and  that  their  missions  would  extend  from  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  Great  Lakes,  Canada,  and  even  to 
the  shores  of  the  Pacific. 

On  April  14th  they  left  Baltimore  and  started  on  the 
journey  across  the  Alleghanies.  The  novices  with  the 
lay  Brothers,  staff  in  hand,  led  the  procession  on  foot. 
Except  on  rare  occasions  they  cooked  their  own  food,  and 
at  night  sought  shelter  within  the  outhouses  of  some  farm 
or  in  an  abandoned  cabin.  Father  De  Smet  tells  us  in  his 
journal  that  "the  Catholic  families  who  were  without  a 
resident  priest  would  try  to  detain  them;  the  Protestants 
in  general  looked  upon  them  as  young  adventurers  of  for- 
tune and  would  offer  them  inducements  to  remain  in  the- 
neighborhood."  This  roving  life  in  no  way  interfered 
with  the  ascetic  training  of  the  novices.  Arriving  at 
Conewago  two  days  in  advance  of  Fathers  Van  Quicken- 
borne  and  Timmermans,  they  employed  the  intervening 
time  in  transcribing  Father  Plowden's  instructions  upon 
religious  perfection,  a  work  they  had  been  obliged  to 
abandon  upon  leaving  Whitemarsh.16 

After  a  march  of  eighteen  days  the  young  Jesuits  ar- 
rived at  Wheeling.  Their  resources  were  inadequate  for 
the  purchase  of  a  boat,  so  the  Superior,  by  way  of  a  make- 
shift, procured  two  scows  which  he  caused  to  be  lashed 
together.  On  one  he  placed  the  negroes  and  the  baggage; 
the  missionaries  occupied  the  other,  and  thus  they  com- 
mitted themselves  to  the  current  of  the  Ohio.  The 
beautiful  river  flowed  between  densely  forested  banks 
with  only  here  and  there  a  cluster  of  miserable  huts.     The 

16  Father  Percy  Plowden  (1672-1745),  "Practical  Methods  of  Performing 
the  Ordinary  Actions  of  a  Religious  Life  with  Fervor  of  Spirit."  London, 
1718. 


ARRIVAL  OF  THE  JESUITS  IN  MISSOURI    35 

present  cities  of  Cincinnati,  Louisville,  and  Madison  were- 
then  but  small  villages.  The  expedition  traveled  day 
and  night,  only  stopping  to  procure  provisions.  The 
religious  exercises  for  the  novices  were  continued  on  board. 
A  bell  was  rung  every  morning  for  rising,  meditation,  and 
examination  of  conscience.  Mass  was  said  every  day  and 
the  boat  was,  in  fact,  a  floating  monastery. 

The  usual  dangers  and  difficulties  which  were  features- 
of  the  river  navigation  at  that  time  beset  the  party. 
Violent  wind-storms  took  their  craft  beyond  their  control 
and  falling  trees  toppling  into  the  stream  from  the  eroded 
banks,  as  well  as  sunken  snags,  were  a  frequent  menace.17 
Steering  so  unwieldy  a  craft  was  at  best  difficult,  but 
floating  brushwood  made  the  task  of  the  pilot  quite  arduous. 
Brother  Strahan,  on  whom  this  responsibility  rested,  was 
kept  unceasingly  on  the  alert  to  avoid  the  steamboats 
which  traveled  up  and  down  the  river. 

At  Louisville  the  voyagers  encountered  the  famous  falls 
of  the  Ohio.  In  order  to  safely  make  the  passage  of  the 
rapids  it  was  necessary  to  lighten  cargo,  and  to  this  end 
all  of  the  party  except  Joost  Van  Assche  went  ashore, 
loading  the  baggage  into  carts.  Joost  Van  Assche  alone 
was  permitted  to  remain  aboard  with  the  local  pilot  to 
whose  skill  the  craft  was  entrusted  for  shooting  the  rapids. 
The  band  was  to  be  reunited  and  to  embark  again  some 
miles  below  the  falls,  where,  as  it  happened,  a  pleasant 
surprise  was  awaiting  them.  They  were  destined  at  their 
point  of  rendezvous  to  meet  no  less  a  person  than  their 
venerated  and  beloved  friend,  Father  Nerinckx.  The  old 
missionary  was  conducting  a  community  of  the  Sisters 
of  Loretto  who  were  leaving  Kentucky  for  Missouri. 
He  was  moved  to  tears  by  the  happy  and  unexpected 
meeting,  for,  realizing  that  his  span  of  years  was  nearly 
done,  it  brought  comfort  to  his  zealous  soul  to  know  that 

17  "Trees  that  topple  into  the  stream  when  the  current  washes  away  the 
sustaining  earth  about  the  roots,  float  for  some  time  until  the  roots  or  limbs 
catch  on  the  bottom  and  hold  them  fast  against  the  current.  In  the  course 
of  months  and  years  the  action  of  the  swift-flowing  water  sharpens  the 
trunk  and  branches  and  they  go  by  the  name  of  'snags.'  Frequently  these 
are  hidden  beneath  the  surface,  and  woe  to  any  steamer  that  strikes  one  of 
them,  for  they  will  rip  the  hull  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye."  (Jules  Leclercq, 
"Un  £t6  en  Amenque."    Paris,  1877,  p.  166.) 


34      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

the  apostolic  work  which  he  had  begun  would  be  perpetu- 
ated by  such  worthy  and  ardent  men.  "Your  work  will 
be  arduous,"  he  told  them,  "but  never  forget  God  and  He 
will  not  forget  you."  To  the  very  close  of  his  life  Father 
Nerinckx  followed  with  interest  the  missionary  and 
religious  careers  of  these  young  men,  and  it  so  happened 
that  only  a  few  days  before  his  death  he  went  to  Florissant 
to  visit  them  and  encourage  them  in  their  work. 

The  two  flatboats,  having  made  a  safe  passage  through 
the  rapids,  joined  the  missionaries  who  were  awaiting 
them  at  Portland.  The  horses  and  the  wagon  and  all  the 
impedimenta  were  reembarked  and  the  voyage  continued 
on  down  the  Ohio.  From  Louisville  to  Shawneetown  the 
voyage  was  devoid  of  incident,  but  from  here  on  a  modifica- 
tion of  travel  was  necessary  because,  though  only  a  few 
days  from  St.  Louis,  the  boats  could  not  get  up  the  Missis- 
sippi and  the  party  was  obliged  to  complete  the  journey 
on  foot.  Father  Van  Quickenborne  sent  the  baggage  on  a 
steamboat  bound  for  St.  Louis,  and  the  missionaries  took 
their  way  overland  through  Illinois. 

The  prairies  were  inundated  by  spring  rains  and  they  were 
obliged  to  tramp  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  through 
marshes,  often  up  to  the  waist  in  water,  seldom  finding 
shelter  in  farm  or  inn.  Night  would  overtake  them  with  no 
better  quarters  than  the  floor  of  some  barn  or  empty 
stable,  and  the  singing  and  biting  of  mosquitoes  made  sleep 
an  impossibility.  At  length,  however,  on  Saturday,  May 
31st,  the  travelers  came  in  sight  of  St.  Louis.  They  were 
exhausted,  Father  De  Smet  tells  us,  having  descended 
nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  Ohio  River,  and  having 
covered  more  than  four  hundred  miles  on  foot  since  leav- 
ing Whitemarsh  six  weeks  before.  Did  the  sight  of  the 
Mississippi's  broad  expanse,  as  it  lay  before  them,  recall 
to  their  memory  the  splendors  of  Meschacebe,  ' '  The  Father 
of  Waters,"  spoken  of  by  Chateaubriand?  It  is  more 
probable  that  their  thoughts  were  only  for  those  brave 
pioneers  of  religion  who  had  already  evangelized  that 
country,  and  that  they  were  thanking  God  for  having 
called  them  to  take  up  again,  after  a  lapse  of  more  than  a 
century,  the  work  of  salvation  which  religious  persecution 
had  suddenly  arrested. 


ARRIVAL  OF  THE  JESUITS  IN  MISSOURI    35 

The  population  of  St.  Louis  at  that  time  numbered  four 
or  five  thousand.  The  new-comers  were  cordially  received 
at  the  Catholic  academy  lately  erected  by  Bishop  Dubourg. 
The  next  day  being  the  feast  of  Corpus  Christi,  to  the 
Father  Superior  was  given  the  honor  of  carrying  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  in  the  procession,  and  this  was,  in  fact,  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  the  town  that  a  Jesuit  had  lifted  up 
the  monstrance  to  the  gaze  of  the  faithful. 

The  evening  of  the  same  day  Father  Van  Quickenborne, 
impatient  to  reach  his  post,  mounted  a  horse  and  set  out 
in  company  with  Charles  de  la  Croix,  a  former  native  of 
Ghent  and  a  missionary  of  six  years'  residence  in  Missouri. 
Three  days  later,  on  June  3d,  he  was  joined  at  Florissant 
by  his  young  traveling  companions.18 

The  village  of  Florissant,  also  known  at  the  time  as 
St.  Ferdinand,  was  situated  about  sixteen  miles  from 
St.  Louis,  and  at  no  great  distance  from  the  confluence  of 
the  Missouri  and  Mississippi  rivers.  At  that  time  it 
boasted  about  four  hundred  inhabitants,  and  concerning 
the  country  surrounding  it  a  traveler  who  visited  there  at 
the  beginning  of  the  last  century  remarked,  "No  words 
can  describe  its  beauty  and  fertility."19  In  spring  and 
summer  the  undulating  floor  of  the  valley  was  a  sea  of 
verdure  extending  to  the  borders  of  vast  forests  of  red, 
black,  and  white  oak,  walnut,  maple,  and  trees  of  every 
species.  In  1823  not  a  single  habitation  was  to  be  seen 
as  the  eye  swept  the  verdant  expanse  of  the  surrounding 
country.  The  soil  of  the  district  was  of  inexhaustible 
richness  and  fertility,  and  such  land  as  was  under  cultiva- 
tion produced  each  year  enormous  crops.  Florissant  was 
regarded  as  the  granary  of  St.  Louis  and  the  wheat  grown 
there  was  renowned  throughout  Missouri,  whence  it  was 
conveyed  by  water  to  the  markets  of  Lower  Louisiana. 

The  house  of  the  Jesuit  Mission  was  about  one  and  a 
half  miles  from  Florissant  and  stood  upon  an  eminence. 
The  situation  commanded  a  fine  view  of  the  country  lying 
spread  before  it  like  a  panorama,  with  Florissant  nestling 

18  The  account  of  this  journey  is  taken  from  Father  Hill's  interesting 
book,  "Historical  Sketch  of  the  St.  Louis  University,"  Chap,  ii,  St.  Louis, 
1879. 

19  H.  M.  Breckenridge,  "Views  of  Louisiana,"  Book  ii,  Chap.  ii. 


36       THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

in  the  valley,  the  roofs  of  the  houses  peeping  here  and 
there  through  the  trees.  To  the  west  lay  St.  Charles, 
with  its  low-roofed  buildings  rising  in  tiers  on  the  bluffs 
of  the  Missouri  River,  and  to  the  north  sinuous  white 
cliffs  crowned  with  forests  marked  the  course  of  the 
Mississippi  River  above  Alton. 

However  inspiring  was  this  location,  the  buildings 
themselves  left  much  to  be  desired.  The  main  structure 
was  an  affair  of  one  room  about  eight  or  nine  yards  wide, 
surmounted  by  a  gable  roof  pitched  so  low  that  a  man 
could  not  stand  upright  in  the  attic  beneath  it.  A  short 
distance  away  stood  two  huts,  each  about  twenty  feet 
square,  and  this  group  of  three  buildings  was  all  their 
accommodation.  If  comforts  there  were,  they  were  very 
few;  the  walls  wrere  of  logs  placed  one  upon  the  other,  the 
intervening  cracks  being  plastered  up  with  mud.  The  roof 
consisted  of  large  shingles,*  which  for  lack  of  nails  were 
held  in  place  by  strips  of  wood  laid  crosswise.  The  doors 
were  made  of  rough,  hand-hewn  slabs,  and  were  fastened 
by  means  of  a  wooden  latch  which  was  lifted  by  a  string 
that  hung  outside.  The  windows  were  mere  openings, 
without  glass,  having  shutters  that  fastened  in  a  manner 
similar  to  the  doors. 

The  missionaries  proceeded  at  once  to  make  themselves 
at  home.  The  dark  and  stuffy  attic  became  the  dormitory 
of  the  novices,  and  its  floor,  softened  by  a  buffalo  robe  or  a 
handful  of  straw,  served  as  their  bed.  The  ground  floor 
was  divided  by  a  curtain  which  separated  the  chapel  from 
the  bedroom  occupied  by  the  Superior  and  his  assistant. 
One  of  the  two  outhouses,  which  in  a  former  day  had 
served  successively  as  a  chicken-house  and  then  a  pig- 
pen, was  transformed  into  a  study  for  the  novices  and  also 
a  community  refectory.  The  other  outhouses  were  used 
as  a  shelter  for  plows  and  farm  implements,  and  as  a 
kitchen  and  sleeping-quarters  for  servants. 

The  long  journey  had  exhausted  their  modest  financial 
resources  and  in  a  short  while  the  community  felt  the 

*  Translator's  Note:  The  shingles  referred  to  were  in  all  probability  what 
were  commonly  known  in  this  part  of  the  country  as  "clapboards."  These 
differed  from  shingles,  being  made  of  oak  generally,  and  being  longer,  wider, 
and  thicker. 


ARRIVAL  OF  THE  JESUITS  IN  MISSOURI    37 

bite  of  poverty.  The  farm,  it  is  true,  comprised  about 
three  hundred  acres,  all  agricultural  land,  but  it  had  to  be 
cleared,  plowed,  and  planted  with  no  help  other  than  the 
three  idle  negroes.  The  labor  was  arduous  and  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  protracted  period  of  waiting  for  the  first  crop 
yield.  Scant  clothing  and  an  inadequate  diet  of  corn  and 
bacon  failed,  however,  to  call  forth  a  complaint.  "Far 
from  complaining,"  wrote  Bishop  Dubourg,  "they  thanked 
God  for  giving  them  such  a  truly  apostolic  beginning."20 

The  courageous  Bishop  himself  gave  them  an  example 
of  perfect  trust  in  Providence:  "I  wished  to  be  prudent 
and  have  money  in  hand  before  seeking  for  missionaries, 
and  behold,  the  men  came  before  the  money !  Thus  does 
God  disconcert  the  plans  laid  by  our  poor  human  prudence. 
.  .  .  Could  I  refuse  the  services  of  this  holy  band  of  apostles 
under  the  cowardly  pretext  that  I  did  not  know  where  to 
find  means  to  feed  them  ?  God  sent  them  to  me  and  He  will 
not  let  them  starve.  Moreover,  never  have  I  felt  such 
entire  confidence  and  peace  as  in  this  enterprise,  which 
I  feel  to  be  above  and  beyond  my  own  powers  and  strength 
to  accomplish."21  The  good  Bishop's  trust  did  not  go 
unrewarded.  About  that  time  the  Society  for  the  Propa- 
gation of  the  Faith  sent  him  a  sum  of  money  which  he 
hastened  to  divide  with  the  missionaries,  and  in  addition 
to  this,  Providence  seemed  to  help  them  in  other  practical 
ways. 

The  Ladies  of  the  Sacred  Heart  had  then  been  estab- 
lished some  three  years  in  Florissant.  Madam  Duchesne, 
a  woman  celebrated  for  her  virtues  and  renowned  for  the 
religious  houses  which  she  had  founded,  was  the  Superior 
at  the  time,  and  while  her  community  was,  in  fact,  quite 
poor  itself  and  had  but  scant  means  of  support,  the  order 
of  its  charity  was  heroic.  They  conducted  a  small  school 
and  had  enrolled  several  postulants.  The  arrival  of  the 
Jesuit  Fathers  redoubled  the  self-sacrificing  devotion  of 
these  good  women.  "Believing  that  this  special  mission 
had  been  confided  to  her,   Madam  Duchesne  conserved 

20  To  his  brother,  Aug.  6,  1823.  (Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith, 
Vol.  i,  No.  5,  p.  41.) 

21  To  his  brother,  March  17, 1823.  (Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith, 
Vol.  i,  No.  5,  p.  39.) 


38      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

her  resources  for  the  new-comers.  Not  content  with 
begging  alms  from  the  well-to-do  families  of  St.  Louis,  she 
also  deprived  herself  of  her  own  belongings,  kitchen 
utensils,  linen,  bedding,  and  other  essentials,  as  well  as 
provisions;  and  whenever  she  heard  that  the  missionaries 
were  in  want  she  would  assemble  the  nuns  and,  intimating 
that  she  had  rather  divined  the  Fathers'  needy  condition 
than  been  told  of  it,  because  they  never  made  their  wants 
known,  she  would  let  her  tears  plead  the  cause  of  her 
proteges.  This  was  always  followed  by  a  unanimous 
resolution  to  practice  greater  self-denial.  The  nuns  de- 
voted a  portion  of  every  evening  to  making  and  mending 
clothing  for  the  missionaries.  On  one  occasion,  having 
received  a  donation  of  five  dollars  for  her  convent,  the 
Mother  Superior  turned  it  over  to  her  poorer  neighbors, 
and  in  commenting  upon  it  when  writing  to  Madam  Barat 
she  said:  'We  shall  be  a  little  Providence  to  others,  even 
as  God  is  to  us.'  "22 

Thanks  to  the  heroic  charity  of  these  nuns,  the  mis- 
sionaries were  able  to  eke  out  an  endurable  existence 
amidst  the  hardships  of  the  early  days  of  the  novitiate, 
and  ere  long  Father  Van  Quickenborne  took  steps  to  en- 
large the  house,  adding  a  wing  and  a  second  story  to  the 
main  building  and  also  porches  running  the  entire  length. 
July  31st,  the  feast  of  St.  Ignatius,  was  chosen  for  the 
beginning  of  the  work.  The  only  building-stone  procur- 
able had  to  be  quarried  from  the  river-banks,  and  the 
trees  from  which  the  timbers  and  boards  were  to  be  hewn 
were  selected  from  a  small  island  in  the  Missouri  River 
not  far  from  the  novitiate.  Father  Van  Quickenborne 
and  his  novices  fell  to  their  task  with  energy,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  the  ground  was  covered  with  huge  oak 
logs  of  many  years'  growth.  The  hewing  and  shaping  of 
the  timbers  was  all  done  on  the  spot  where  the  trees 
were  felled  so  as  to  facilitate  transportation.  While 
engaged  on  this  work  an  accident  occurred  which  revealed 
Father  Van  Quickenborne's  indomitable  will  and  resolu- 
tion. One  of  the  novices  who  was  assisting  him  in  squaring 
up  a  timber,  for  lack  of  skill  permitted  the  axe  to  glance, 
striking  the  Superior  on  the  foot.     The  blood  gushed  from 

22  Bishop  Baunard,  "Life  of  Madam  Duchesne,"  p.  303. 


ARRIVAL  OF  THE  JESUITS  IN  MISSOURI    39 

the  wound,  but  the  priest  would  not  desist  from  work  till 
overcome  by  faintness;  only  the  weakness  from  loss  of 
blood  compelled  him  to  be  seated  and  to  permit  his  foot  to 
be  bandaged  with  a  handkerchief.  When  the  time  arrived 
to  return  to  the  novitiate  nothing  would  do  but  Father  Van 
Quickenborne  must  trudge  the  several  miles  on  his  wounded 
foot.  On  the  way,  however,  the  pain  became  so  excruciat- 
ing that  he  was  obliged  to  mount  a  horse.  For  several 
days  he  was  confined  to  bed  with  a  high  fever,  but  at  the 
first  sign  of  improvement  he  returned  to  his  work. 

It  was  necessary  for  him  to  ride  horseback,  and  this 
circumstance  gave  rise  to  another  accident.  In  certain 
places  the  river-banks  proved  to  be  very  marshy,  and 
Father  Van  Quickenborne  suddenly  found  that  his  horse 
had  sunk  into  one  of  these  treacherous  bog-holes  and 
was  mired  to  the  shoulders.  He,  fortunately,  was  able 
to  dismount  upon  firm  ground,  but  every  effort  to  extricate 
the  poor  animal  was  futile,  and  he  had  the  pain  of  seeing 
his  mount  perish  before  his  eyes.23  *  These  misfortunes, 
however,  were  to  the  laborers  but  a  part  of  the  day's  work, 
and  their  ardor  was  unabated.  On  the  island,  which  was 
now  transformed  into  a  lumber-yard,  the  axe,  saw,  and 
plane  were  plied  incessantly,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the 
work  of  dressing  was  finished  and  the  last  beam  had  been 
hauled  up  the  hill  upon  which  the  novitiate  stood.  Nor 
was  the  gathering  of  the  timber  and  its  preparation  at- 
tended to  with  more  than  sufficient  dispatch,  for  the  fol- 
lowing night  the  island  was  washed  away  by  a  sudden 
freshet  in  the  Missouri. 

The  building  operations  went  on  apace,  and  no  member 
of  the  little  colony  lent  himself  to  the  work  with  greater 
enthusiasm  than  Father  De  Smet.  His  skill  and  herculean 
strength  enabled  him  to  do  the  work  of  three  men.  As 
late  as  a  few  years  ago  the  remains  of  a  hut  built  of  enor- 
mous logs,  one  above  the  other  and  cemented  with  mud, 
were  still  to  be  seen  at  the  novitiate,  the  work  of  "Sam- 
son," who  was  both  architect  and  builder.     His  notes  tell 

23  Cf.  Father  De  Smet,  Selected  Letters,  2d  series,  p.  174. 

*  Translator's  Note:  This  bog-hole  was  in  all  likelihood  nothing  more  or 
less  than  one  of  the  beds  of  quicksand  which  are  quite  common  in  the  Mis- 
souri River,  especially  near  sloughs  formed  by  islands  or  on  sand-bars. 


4o      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

us  how  every  man  labored  at  this  arduous  task  with  great 
enthusiasm:  "most  joyfully  and  pleasantly." 

A  truly  remarkable  thing  is  to  be  noted  in  the  fact  that 
none  of  these  hardships  and  engrossing  labors  were  per- 
mitted to  interfere  with  the  routine  and  regular  spiritual 
exercises  of  the  novitiate.24  It  bespeaks  the  great  strength 
of  soul  of  Father  Van  Quickenborne  and  his  associates  that 
the  spiritual  practices  peculiar  to  the  community  life  of  the 
Society  were  not  in  any  wise  permitted  to  lapse  or  be  abbre- 
viated under  the  stress  of  pressing  and  necessary  material 
occupations. 

The  enlargement  of  the  house  was  finally  accomplished 
and  the  little  household  more  comfortably  lodged;  but 
added  space  and  new  walls  had  not  shut  out  the  gnawing 
wolf  of  poverty.  The  hard  experience  of  the  past  months 
had  taxed  to  the  limit  the  endurance  of  Francis  De  Maillet 
and  Charles  Strahan,  and  they  withdrew  from  the  Society. 
These  defections  from  the  ranks  served  only  to  strengthen 
the  tenacity  of  Peter  De  Smet.  In  one  of  his  letters  to 
his  father  he  said:  "I  am  in  good  health,  contented,  and 
happy  in  our  little  hut.  .  .  .  You  are  convinced,  I  feel  sure, 
that  the  greatest  happiness  man  can  know  here  below  is  to 
serve  God,  love  Him  with  his  whole  soul,  abandoning  him- 
self to  the  Divine  Will;  rejoice  that  your  son  has  left  the 
world  and  sought  refuge  in  religion,  where  he  is  sheltered 
from  the  dangers  that  would  have  beset  his  path  had  he  not 
followed  his  vocation."25 

The  two  years  which  had  now  passed  since  our  young 
men  entered  the  novitiate  at  Whitemarsh  were  deemed  to 
be  a  sufficient  term  of  probation,  and  on  October  10,  1823, 
the  six  Florissant  novices  made  their  first  vows.  Concern- 
ing the  happiness  which  he  felt  on  this  occasion  Peter 
De  Smet  wrote  to  his  family:  "I  have  had  the  honor  of 
consecrating  myself  to  God  by  vows  which  to  me  will  be 
indissoluble  bonds.  I  have  given  myself  completely  to 
His  service,  making  thereby  an  irrevocable  and  absolute 
gift.  It  only  now  remains  for  me  to  sanctify  myself  in 
this  state  and  remain  faithful  all  the  days  of  my  life. 
Pray  for  me  that  I  may  persevere."26 

24  "Nothing  of  the  spiritual  exercises  was  meanwhile  neglected." 

25  Letter  of  Dec.  8,  1823.  26  Ibid. 


CHAPTER   III 

THE   SCHOLASTICATE — PRIESTHOOD — FIRST   LABORS 

(1823-1830) 

Father  Van  Quickenborne  at  once  Superior,  Professor,  Parish  Priest  at 
Florissant,  and  Chaplain  of  the  Sacred  Heart  Convent — Father  De 
Theux — Peter  De  Smet's  Studies — Confidence  Reposed  in  Him  by  His 
Superiors — His  Taste  for  Natural  Science — The  Priesthood — Joost  De 
Smet's  Death  —  The  Third  Year  —  Beginning  of  Apostolic  Work — 
Florissant,  St.  Charles,  etc. — The  "Indian  College" — The  Plan  for  a 
"Reduction" — Circumstances  Preventing  Its  Accomplishment. 

TWO  days  after  pronouncing  their  vows  the  young 
missionaries  entered  upon  the  studies  that  were  to 
prepare  them  for  the  priesthood,  and,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  most  of  them  had  finished  the  "humanities"  before 
leaving  Belgium,  the  course  was  opened  with  the  study  of 
philosophy.  A  lack  of  text-books  confronted  the  students, 
and  Peter  De  Smet  wrote  to  his  father  asking  that  the 
necessary  ones  be  sent  out.  In  addition  to  being  Master 
of  Novices  Father  Van  Quickenborne  assumed  the  role 
of  Professor  of  Philosophy,  and  Peter  Verhaegen,  who  had 
begun  his  ecclesiastical  studies  at  Mechlin,  became  his 
assistant.  The  course  was  necessarily  of  a  summary  char- 
acter, because  a  detailed  knowledge  of  systems  was  not 
as  important  to  the  future  missionaries  as  a  careful  prepara- 
tion in  theology  and  a  proper  training  and  maturing  of 
their  minds.  The  circumstances  of  the  times  called  for  the 
earliest  possible  ordination  of  new  priests. 

On  May  31,  1824,  Father  Timmermans  succumbed  to 
"the  hardships  he  endured  during  his  missionary  work; 
the  travel  through  arid  and  flooded  districts;  the  lodging 
in  dilapidated  huts  and  the  sleeping  on  the  ground;  the 
diet  of  water  and  salt  pork."1  He  was  only  thirty-five 
1  Letter  to  Madam  Duchesne,  Baunard,  op.  cit.,  p.  311. 


42      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

years  of  age  and  was  the  first  Jesuit  to  die  in  Missouri. 
Two  months  later  the  missionaries  lost  Father  Nerinckx. 
The  old  priest  had  but  just  come  to  St.  Louis,  intending  to 
devote  the  remaining  years  of  his  life  to  the  poor  and  the 
Indians.  With  this  object  in  view  he  had  asked  Bishop 
Rosati,  coadjutor  to  Mgr.  Dubourg,  to  give  him  the  most 
neglected  mission  in  his  diocese.  After  visiting  the  Sisters 
of  Loretto,  who  had  established  themselves  the  previous 
year  at  Barrens,  he  went  to  his  friends  at  Florissant  in 
order  that  he  might  take  a  long-needed  rest.  This  visit  was 
destined  to  be  Father  Nerinckx's  farewell,  for  following  it, 
a  few  days  later,  the  intrepid  missionary  died  at  St.  Gene- 
vieve in  his  sixty-third  year,  worn  out  by  the  fatigues  of 
his  laborious  ministry. 

Father  Van  Quickenborne  was  now  the  sole  remaining 
priest  at  the  Florissant  Mission,  where  he  filled  the  offices 
of  Superior,  professor,  parish  priest,  and  chaplain  to  the 
Ladies  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  "Although  weak  in  health," 
wrote  Madam  Duchesne,  "he  looked  after  four  parishes 
and  other  remote  missions  across  the  river.  On  Sundays 
he  said  two  Masses,  preached  three  times  in  the  morning, 
taught  catechism,  and  heard  confessions  in  the  intervals 
between  religious  exercises."2  No  constitution,  however 
robust,  could  withstand  the  exactions  of  such  a  routine, 
and,,  moreover,  the  training  of  the  scholastics  and  the 
direction  of  their  studies  required  his  constant  presence. 
This  finally  compelled  Father  Van  Quickenborne  to  ask 
his  Superiors  for  an  assistant. 

On  August  20,  1824,  Peter  De  Smet  wrote  to  his  father: 
"I  have  finished  my  course  in  philosophy,  and  when  the 
vacations  are  over  I  expect  to  begin  theology — we  are 
daily  expecting  professors  from  Rome."  The  expected 
professors  never  came,  but  Providence  bestowed  upon  the 
new  mission  another  remarkable  Belgian  who  was  destined 
to  leave  behind  him  a  reputation  for  sanctity.  This  was 
Theodore  De  Theux  of  Meylandt,  born  on  January  24, 
1789,  at  Liege.  After  taking  his  degree  brilliantly  at  the 
seminary  of  Namur,  he  became,  in  18 12,  the  vicar  of  St. 
Nicolas  in  his  native  town. 

The  hospitals  at  Liege  were  at  that  time  overcrowded 

2  Florissant,  June  10,  1824. 


THE  SCHOLASTICATE  43 

with  Spanish  prisoners  who  had  been  deported  by  Na- 
poleon, and  a  malignant  fever  raging  in  their  midst  was 
decimating  their  numbers  daily.  Abbe  De  Theux,  that 
he  might  hear  the  confessions  of  the  stricken  Spaniards, 
lent  himself  with  diligence  to  the  acquiring  of  their  lan- 
guage, but  before  he  made  any  progress  in  it  he  himself  fell 
a  victim  to  the  scourge,  and  was  compelled  to  return  to  his 
home.  The  disease  was  so  contagious  that  in  a  few  weeks 
two  of  his  brothers  and  four  servants  had  died  of  it.  The 
young  priest  was  at  the  point  of  death,  but  the  designs 
of  Providence  seemed  to  contemplate  reserving  him  for 
other  work. 

He  was  appointed  professor  of  Dogma  and  Sacred 
Scripture  at  Liege  in  18 15,  and  presided  at  the  opening  of 
the  new  seminary,  where  he  happened  to  meet  Father 
Nerinckx,  and  experienced  the  call  which  added  him  to 
the  ranks  of  American  missionaries.  In  April,  18 16,  he 
left  Belgium  without  again  seeing  his  parents,  and  was 
received  into  the  novitiate  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  by 
Father  Grassi,  Superior  of  the  Maryland  Province  in 
America.  Almost  immediately  following  his  reception  into 
the  Society  he  was  given  the  chair  of  philosophy  in  George- 
town University,  was  appointed  preacher  to  the  students, 
and  soon  thereafter  became  head  of  the  Georgetown  parish 
and  mission.  ' '  Such, ' '  wrote  Archbishop  Marechal,  ' ' is  the 
fervor  of  his  piety,  the  immensity  of  his  zeal,  and  his  great 
charity,  that  numerous  Protestants  attended  his  instructions 
and  afterward  embraced  the  Catholic  Faith."3  To  those 
who  remonstrated  with  Father  De  Theux  for  his  excessive 
labors  he  replied,  "It  is  for  this  that  I  became  a  Jesuit." 

Father  De  Theux  had  been  eight  years  in  Maryland 
when  his  Superior,  Father  Dzierozynski,  sent  him  to  join 
Father  Van  Quickenborne  in  Missouri.  Upon  his  arrival 
at  Florissant  in  October,  1825,  he  was  struck  with  the 
poverty  and  needs  of  the  mission,  but,  far  from  being  dis- 
mayed, he  remarked,  "The  Apostles  were  only  twelve  in 
number  when  they  undertook  the  conversion  of  the  world ; 
our  successors  will  finish  the  work  we  have  been  unable 
to  accomplish."  4 

'Letter  to  Mr.  De  Theux,  Nov.  22,  1821. 
4  Letter  to  his  mother,  Feb.  3,  1826. 


44      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Father  Van  Quickenborne  had  by  this  time  been  ap- 
pointed Vicar  General  of  Upper  Louisiana,5  a  position 
which  did  not,  however,  abolish  his  ministry  in  Florissant 
and  the  surrounding  country,  and  Father  De  Theux  re- 
lieved him  of  the  theological  training  of  the  young  religious. 
Father  De  Theux 's  previous  studies  and  his  experience  in 
Georgetown  facilitated  this  work  for  him,  and  though 
time  was  wanting  in  which  to  thoroughly  develop  his  course 
of  instruction,  he  made  it  his  aim,  through  solid  and  prac- 
tical teaching,  to  prepare  his  students  for  a  fruitful  aposto- 
late,  not  only  among  the  Indians,  but  also  in  the  field  of 
Protestantism. 

Having  already  studied  theology  for  a  year  under  Father 
Van  Quickenborne,  Peter  De  Smet  followed  only  a  two 
years'  course  under  the  direction  of  Father  De  Theux. 
At  Florissant,  as  at  Mechlin,  the  solid  quality  of  his  mind 
and  the  sureness  of  his  judgment  won  him  the  entire  con- 
fidence of  his  Superior.  "For  several  years,"  he  writes 
later  on,  "I  enjoyed  the  happiness  of  living  with  Father 
De  Theux  in  a  miserable  little  hut,  and  at  his  express  wish 
I  became  his  monitor.  It  was  agreed  between  us  that 
twice  a  week  he  should  question  me  upon  the  faults  and 
defects  I  had  observed  in  him.  He  begged  me  never  to 
spare  him,  nor  consider  his  feelings,  saying  he  would  be 
most  grateful  for  this  service,  and  would  often  pray  for 
me.  I  observed  him  carefully  in  the  performance  of  his 
spiritual  exercises,  in  his  class  of  theology,  at  table,  and 
at  recreation,  and  never  discovered  the  least  failure  in 
duty.  He  was  grieved  that  I  did  not  correct  him — so  to 
quiet  the  good  priest  I  would  mention  some  trifling  imper- 
fection, a  mere  nothing,  which  he  thanked  me  for.  I  feel 
sure  he  prayed  for  me."6 

Innumerable  were  the  unpleasant  circumstances  and 
incidents  which  conspired  to  render  the  studies  of  the 
scholastics  burdensome,  but  Peter  De  Smet  took  every- 
thing in  good  part.  "Thank  God!"  he  writes,  "I  am 
wonderfully  well.     I  have  suffered  with  the  heat,  it  is 

6  The  letter  of  Archbishop  Dubourg,  in  which  he  appoints  him,  is  dated 
Dec.  28,  1824.  Cf.  "History  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  in  North  America," 
by  Thomas  Hughes,  S.  J.,  London,  1910,  p.  1027. 

6  Selected  Letters,  3d  series,  p.  191. 


THE  SCHOLASTICATE  45 

true,  but  then  we  have  other  advantages  of  which  you 
are  deprived.  In  Flanders  I  had  often  to  be  bled — a 
custom  of  the  country,  and  an  operation  which  there 
required  a  doctor.  It  is  done  here,  gratis,  by  gnats, 
mosquitoes,  fleas,  ticks,  and  flies.  They  are  so  obliging! 
It  is  far  easier  to  kill  them  than  to  try  to  dissuade  them 
from  rendering  this  service."7 

During  vacation  young  De  Smet  collected  minerals, 
plants,  and  the  insects  peculiar  to  the  country,  thereby 
acquiring  so  thorough  a  knowledge  of  natural  science  that 
his  name  came  to  be  known  among  scientific  men.  He 
collected  not  only  to  satisfy  his  own  curiosity  and  his 
thirst  for  knowledge,  but  also  to  send  specimens  to  his 
family  and  the  benefactors  of  the  missions.  "I  have  read 
with  pleasure,"  he  writes  his  brother  Charles,  "that  you 
have  an  extended  knowledge  of  foreign  trees  and  plants, 
and  I  am  only  waiting  to  know  what  specimens  you  want 
before  sending  you  some  from  my  own  collection.  I  have 
gathered  near  here  every  interesting  specimen  that  is  not 
to  be  found  in  Flanders.  These  I  will  send  you  at  the 
first  opportunity.  ...  I  know  several  travelers  who  often 
pass  through  the  Indian  country,  and  you  shall  have  your 
share  in  everything  I  receive."8  He  further  tells  about  a 
consignment  of  insects,  birds,  and  snakes,  and  refers  to  the 
fact  that  he  had  made  a  collection  of  reptiles  of  "every 
species  in  the  State  of  Missouri."  Madam  De  Theux, 
the  mother  of  his  theology  teacher,  received  a  collection 
of  some  two  hundred  insects,  as  well  as  of  the  different 
seeds  peculiar  to  the  locality.  A  similar  collection  was 
forwarded  to  the  Jesuits  in  Rome. 

The  care  of  souls,  however,  remained  the  all-absorbing 
interest  of  these  pioneer  priests :  "A  mission  territory  some 
three  thousand  leagues  in  circumference  and  one  devoid 
of  ministers  of  the  Gospel  has  been  confided  to  our  care. 
Pray  and  have  prayers  and  Masses  said  for  us  and  for 
the  unfortunate  people  scattered  through  this  wilderness 
who  are  waiting  on  our  ministration."9  "The  misery  of 
so  many  souls  deprived  of  the  light  and  consolation  of  true 
religion  saddens  my  heart.     Since  I  am  not  in  a  position 

7  To  his  father,  St.  Ferdinand,  Aug.  20,  1824. 

8  Feb.  10,  1828.  9  To  his  father)  Dec-  8f  l823> 


46      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  SJ. 

to  labor  among  them,  the  thought  of  their  condition  spurs 
me  on  and  urges  me  to  beseech  heaven  in  their  behalf. 
I  beg  you,  my  dear  father  and  my  sisters  and  brothers,  to 
add  your  supplications  to  mine.  Our  united  prayers  can- 
not fail  to  obtain  what  should  be  the  desire  of  every  good 
Catholic — the  conversion  of  sinners,  and  the  return  of  our 
erring  brothers  to  the  fold."10 

The  time  for  his  ordination  was  now  approaching. 
Having  finished  the  course  in  philosophy,  Peter  De  Smet 
received  the  tonsure  and  minor  orders  from  Bishop  Rosati. 
In  a  letter  to  his  father  under  date  of  May  7,  1827,  he  says: 
"We  shall  pass  our  examinations  in  logic,  metaphysics, 
natural  philosophy,  and  theology  in  July,  after  which, 
in  all  probability,  we  shall  be  ordained.  Pray  for  me." 
On  September  23d  of  the  same  year,  in  the  parish  church  at 
Florissant,  Bishop  Rosati  conferred  Holy  Orders  upon 
young  De  Smet  and  his  three  companions,  John  Elet, 
Joost  Van  Assche,  and  Felix  Verreydt.11  The  following 
day,  the  feast  of  Our  Lady  of  Mercy,  Father  De  Smet 
celebrated  his  first  Mass. 

The  father  of  our  missionary  was  not  destined  to  realize 
here  on  earth  the  joy  and  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  his 
son  had  become  a  priest,  for  seven  months  before,  in  his 
ninety-first  year,  he  passed  away  in  the  bosom  of  his 
loving  and  devoted  family.12  Peter  could  never  free  him- 
self from  the  feeling  that  his  father  cherished  a  certain 
resentment  against  him  because  of  his  departure  from 
home.  "In  reading  over  the  letters  you  wrote  me  three 
or  four  years  ago  I  experience  an  inexpressible  joy  when 
I  perceive  that  you  are  completely  resigned  to  the  will  of 
God,  and  note  the  sentiments  you  entertain  in  my  regard, 
but  when  I  consider  that  these  letters  are  the  only  ones  I 
have  received  from  home,  and  that  I  am  in  complete 
ignorance  of  all  that  is  happening  to  you,  I  am  weighed 
down  with  sadness."13 

The  irregularity  of  sailings  and  mails  at  that  period 
would  account  for  the  silence  of  De  Smet  senior.     There 

10  April  29,  1824. 

"John  Baptiste  Smedts  and  Peter  Verhaegen  had  been  ordained  the 
previous  year. 

12  Joost  De  Smet  died  Feb.  15,  1827. 

13  To  his  father,  May  7,  1827. 


PRIESTHOOD  47 

exists,  however,  a  touching  proof  of  the  affection  which 
Joost  De  Smet  felt  for  his  son.  Not  long  before  his 
death  he  sat  for  a  portrait,  in  which  he  is  seen  holding  in 
his  hand  a  letter  from  Peter,  a  pose  he  insisted  upon  taking. 
When  the  missionary  returned  to  Belgium  he  often  stood 
before  that  venerated  image  and  there  read  the  assurance 
of  his  pardon. 

Having  completed  their  studies  for  the  priesthood,  the 
young  religious  now  passed  from  the  status  of  scholastics  to 
probationers,  as  it  were.  Despite  the  fact  that  the  mission 
was  in  need  of  active  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  Father  Van 
Quickenborne  would  not  curtail  the  course  prescribed  by 
St.  Ignatius  by  omitting  the  "third  year,"  and  he  even  took 
upon  himself  the  duties  of  instructor.  With  appealing 
eloquence  he  preached  to  these  young  men  the  principles 
of  self-abnegation,  and  instilled  into  them  the  love  of 
Christ.  He  exhorted  them  to  apostolic  zeal  with  such 
burning  words  that  the  lapse  of  thirty  years  could  not 
efface  them  from  the  memory  of  Father  De  Smet:  "The 
salvation  of  souls  was  the  one  thought,  desire,  and  longing 
of  his  life.  .  .  .  He  communicated  his  devouring  zeal  to 
others  and  one  felt  carried  away  by  his  words.  Those 
who  could  not  materially  aid  him  in  his  work  were  moved 
to  pray  for  his  success."14 

In  addition  to  the  lectures  of  the  Superior  the  young 
priests  now  added  the  practical  work  of  ministry  by 
frequently  visiting  the  Catholics  living  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Florissant.  Touching  upon  his  early  experiences  in  a 
letter  to  his  sister  Rosalie,  Father  De  Smet  says:  "Nu- 
merous difficulties  confront  us  who  are  working  for  the 
evangelization  of  this  country.  In  this  part  of  America 
there  are  few  churches.  We  are  obliged  oftentimes  to  say 
Mass  in  a  roofless  hut,  with  the  congregation  exposed  to 
heat,  cold,  and  inclement  weather.  In  winter  the  altar 
is  often  covered  with  snow,  and  in  summer  it  streams  with 
wax  from  the  candles  melted  by  the  excessive  heat.  An- 
other great  difficulty  is  the  scattered  population.  By  far 
the  smaller  percentage  of  the  Catholics  live  in  the  settle- 
ments, the  majority  being  dispersed  throughout  the  wilder- 

14  Selected  Letters,  3d  series,  p.  178. 


48       THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

ness  sometimes  at  a  distance  of  fifteen  or  twenty  miles 
from  one  another.  We  are  obliged  to  seek  them  like  lost 
sheep,  often  at  the  peril  of  our  lives.  Sometimes  we  spend 
the  night  in  the  woods,  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  the 
wolves,  which  are  quite  numerous  in  these  parts,  or  we 
may  sojourn  in  a  hut  where  a  fire  is  our  only  light,  and 
our  clothes  the  only  bed-covering.  We  cross  rivers  on 
horseback,  or  on  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree,  or  in  a 
bark  canoe.  Again  and  again  we  eat  our  first  meal  at 
six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  oftentimes  are  obliged 
to  postpone  even  this  one  till  the  following  day.  Hard- 
ships of  this  character,  however,  reduce  embonpoint,  and 
we  are  all  in  excellent  health,  a  fact  that  astonishes 
the  Americans.  We  tell  them  it  is  the  Belgian  blood 
in  our  veins.  There  is  much  talk  about  black  and 
yellow  fever  and  chills  and  fever,  but  as  for  myself, 
thank  God!  I  have  not  fallen  a  victim  to  any  of  these 
maladies  and  am  always  the  same  Peter."  The  letter 
concludes  with  an  appeal  to  the  generosity  of  the  clergy 
and  Catholics  of  Termonde:  "I  know,  dear  sister,  that 
you  enjoy  a  game  of  lotto  with  Mile.  X.  .  .  .  Give  the 
winnings  to  our  poor  missions."15 

The  exercises  of  the  "third  year"  were  concluded  July 
31,  1828,  and  from  that  time  forward  the  needs  of  the 
mission  were  not  so  great.  Before  beginning  the  work  of 
converting  the  Indians,  the  Catholics  were  sought  out  and 
drawn  away  from  Protestant  influences.  The  Protestant 
ministers  were  endeavoring  in  every  way  to  interfere  with 
the  work  of  the  Jesuits.  Catholicism  was  represented  by 
them  as  a  collection  of  absurd  doctrines,  and  this  attitude 
was  backed  up  by  gross  calumnies  about  the  Jesuits.  In 
addressing  the  ignorant  classes  these  preachers  were  wont  to 
paint  the  Jesuits  as  monsters  with  hoofs  and  horns,  and 
when  the  first  priest  came  among  the  people  of  this  locality 
he  was  scrutinized  as  a  curiosity.  It  did  not  take  long, 
however,  to  dispel  these  false  impressions  and  win  the 
misguided  ones  to  the  faith. 

Prior  to  the  founding  of  the  college  in  St.  Louis  the 
Jesuits  had  two  principal  centers  of  activity:  Florissant 
and   St.   Charles.     When   they  came  to  Florissant   they 

15  Florissant,  Feb.  16,  1828.     (Translated  from  the  Flemish.) 


FIRST  LABORS  49 

found  a  Belgian  priest,  Father  Charles  de  la  Croix,16  in 
charge  of  the  parish.  This  man's  faith  and  piety  had 
caused  Bishop  Dubourg  to  regard  him  as  his  principal 
auxiliary,  and  the  Bishop  used  to  call  him  "his  good 
angel."  When,  eventually,  physical  exhaustion  compelled 
Father  de  la  Croix  to  quit  his  post,  the  parish  was  turned 
over  to  Father  Van  Quickenborne,  who  from  1828  on  had 
as  his  assistants  Fathers  De  Theux  and  Elet. 

The  ardent  zeal,  the  charity,  and  the  forceful,  convinc- 
ing words  of  these  priests  deeply  moved  Catholics  and 
Protestants  alike,  and  enthusiasm  spread.  Retreats  were 
preached  by  the  missionaries,  attracting  the  villagers  to 
the  church  at  first,  and  afterward  bringing  them  to  the 
holy  table.  Madam  Duchesne,  who  witnessed  these 
marvels,  was  lost  in  admiration:  "These  Fathers,"  she 
remarked,  "seem  capable  of  converting  an  entire  kingdom." 

St.  Charles,  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Missouri 
River,  some  ten  miles  above  Florissant,  numbered  in 
population  about  one  hundred  Catholic  families,  all  more 
or  less  poor.  From  contributions  which  he  had  begged 
Father  Van  Quickenborne  was  enabled  to  replace  the 
barnlike  building  that  served  this  community  for  a  church, 
by  a  stone  structure,  which  was  looked  upon  as  the  most 
imposing  in  that  region.  The  parish  was  ministered  to 
by  Father  Verhaegen  first,  and  later  by  Fathers  Smedts 
and  Verreydt,  with  the  same  success  that  their  fellow- 
priests  had  already  attained  at  Florissant. 

From  these  two  main  centers  the  missionaries  extended 
their  apostolic  work  unto  the  surrounding  country.  Father 
Van  Quickenborne,  writing  in  1829,  says:  "The  St.  Charles 
church  had  three  smaller  churches  attached  to  it.     These 

16  Born  in  1792  at  Hoorebeke-St.-Corneille  in  Eastern  Flanders,  Charles 
de  la  Croix  was  one  of  those  valiant  seminarists  of  Ghent  who  were  forced 
into  Napoleon's  army.  Ordained  priest  by  Bishop  Dubourg  in  18 17,  he 
followed  the  missionary  bishop  to  America.  His  first  appointment  was 
that  of  parish  priest  at  Barrens,  going  later  on  to  Florissant.  He  had 
begun  the  conversion  of  the  Osage  Indians  when  he  was  stricken  down  by 
a  severe  illness.  After  a  sojourn  in  Belgium,  where  he  remained  some 
time,  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  St.  Michael's  in  Louisiana  in  1829. 
He  remained  five  years  longer  in  America,  and  returned  to  Ghent,  where  he 
became  Canon  of  the  Cathedral  and  Secretary  General  of  the  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Faith.  Thence,  until  his  death  in  1869,  he  labored  for 
the  cause  of  the  missions. 


5o      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

the  Fathers  visited  once  a  month  to  celebrate  Mass,17 
and  also  called  upon  six  other  stations  about  one  hundred 
and  forty-two  miles  distant.  These  latter  places  were 
only  recently  established,  and  when,  two  years  ago,  I 
visited  them  for  the  first  time  there  were  but  seven  Catho- 
lics to  be  found.  The  mission  priest,  on  his  latest  visit 
to  these  stations,  gave  thirty-two  communions  and  also 
converted  several  Protestants.  To-day  the  Catholics 
there  number  one  hundred  and  eighty  souls."18 

Although  he  was  at  that  time  in  charge  of  the  ' '  Indian 
College,"  of  which  we  will  speak  later  on,  Father  De  Smet 
tells  us  he  often  went  to  assist  his  companions  in  the  dif- 
ferent mission  posts.19  No  one  rejoiced  more  than  he  in 
the  progress  Catholicism  was  making.  "It  seems,"  he 
writes,  ' '  that  the  National  Synod  of  the  Bishops  of  America 
that  sat  last  October,  has  thrown  the  Protestant  ministers 
into  a  state  of  panic.20  Before  that  event  the  progress 
our  religion  was  making  no  doubt  alarmed  them,  but  now 
they  have  abandoned  all  restraint,  and  in  their  alarm  give 
vent  to  a  bitterness  and  hatred  which  betrays  itself  in 
atrocious  calumnies  spread  abroad  against-  everything 
Catholic.  One  can  hardly  repress  a  smile  when  reading 
their  periodicals:  'The  terrible  Inquisition  is  being  born 
again  in  this  beautiful  land  of  liberty,  and  instruments  of 
torture  and  the  gallows  will  soon  be  erected  upon  the  ruins 
of  Protestantism.'  Despotism,  Jesuitism-— such  are  the 
names  applied  to  the  government  of  the  Church.  .  .  .  The 
National  Synod  is  condemned  as  a  work  of  Satan  and  is 
every  imaginable  abomination.  .  .  .  'The  standard  of  the 
beast  with  ten  horns  (thus  they  designate  the  Sovereign 
Pontiff)  is  being  waved  from  one  end  of  the  Republic  to  the 
other,  and  rivers  of  blood  will  soon  inundate  the  land.' 

"By    having    recourse    to    the    basest    calumnies,    the 

17  These  villages  were  Dardenne,  Hancock  Prairie,  and  Portage  des  Sioux. 

18  Letter  to  Mr.  De  Nef,  May  30,  1829. 

19  "From  1827  to  1833  I  was  attached  to  the  missions  at  St.  Charles, 
Portage,  Dardenne,  St.  Ferdinand,  etc."     (Itinerary  manuscript.) 

20  This  was  the  first  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore,  held  Oct.  1,  1829,  pre- 
sided over  by  Archbishop  Whitfield.  The  assembled  bishops  deliberated  upon 
means  of  extending  the  Faith  and  combating  "the  spirit  of  indifference  which, 
under  the  specious  name  of  liberalism,  tends  to  confound  truth  with  error, 
representing  all  religions  as  equally  good."  (See  pastoral  letter  of  the'Arch- 
bishop  of  Baltimore  in  "L'Ami  de  la  Religion,"  Dec.  16,  1829.) 


FIRST  LABORS  51 

Protestants  endeavor  to  terrify  good  people,  but,  God  be 
praised !  the  people  are  beginning  to  mistrust  these  proph- 
ets. They  are  investigating  the  situation  for  themselves, 
and  cease  to  put  faith  in  the  worn-out  stories  of  our  enemies. 
We  shall  soon  have  the  joy  of  seeing  prejudices  vanish  one 
by  one,  and  truth  triumph."21 

The  kind  services  rendered  the  Fathers  upon  their  ar- 
rival in  Florissant  by  the  Ladies  of  the  Sacred  Heart  were 
not  forgotten,  and  in  gratitude  the  Jesuits  offered  them- 
selves as  chaplains  to  the  community.  Father  Van 
Quickenborne  became  their  spiritual  director.  He  was  a 
stern  man,  brief  in  conversation,  and  knew  but  one  road — 
that  of  humility  and  renunciation.  The  Mother  Superior, 
no  less  than  the  nuns,  was  conducted  along  a  thorny  path. 
One  day  the  good  Mother,  moved  by  the  poverty  of  the 
Fathers,  sent  them  a  cooked  dinner.  Father  Van  Quicken- 
borne  returned  it  with  the  curt  remark  that  he  had  not 
asked  any  alms  of  Madam  Duchesne.  Such  rigor  as  this  can 
be  applied  only  to  strong  souls,  but  that  it  was  to  the  liking 
of  the  Superior  and  her  heroic  companions  is  evidenced  in 
her  correspondence  with  Madam  Barat.  "Truly,"  she 
writes,  "it  would  be  very  bad  taste  on  my  part  to  com- 
plain, when  I  am  favored  and  upheld  by  so  many  friends 
of  God.  The  guidance  of  these  holy  men  is  so  uplifting 
that  I  delight  more  in  our  poverty-stricken  country  life 
than  I  should  in  that  of  a  well-endowed  convent  in  town." 

The  esteem  felt  by  Madam  Duchesne  for  the  Jesuit 
Fathers  was  evinced  even  in  a  greater  degree  by  the  interest 
she  showed  in  their  work.  On  occasions  when  they  went 
forth  to  visit  their  outlying  congregations  she  would  with 
celerity  and  generosity  equip  them  with  vestments,  altar 
linen,  sacred  vessels;  also  money,  cooking-utensils,  and 
even  the  horse  belonging  to  the  convent.  Indignant  at 
the  thought  of  the  money  which  the  Protestants  were 
raising  to  oppose  the  work  of  the  missionaries,  she  ex- 
claimed, sublimely:  "Could  my  flesh  be  converted  into 
money,  I  would  give  it  willingly  to  help  our  missions!"22 
From  this  time  dates  the  religious  friendship  between 
Madam  Duchesne  and  Father  De  Smet.     Appreciating 

21  To  his  sister  Rosalie,  Feb.  i,  1830. 

22"Histoire  de  Mme.  Duchesne,"  Baunard,  pp.  306  et  seq. 


52      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

his  zeal  and  initiative,  she  never  ceased  to  pray  for  the 
success  of  his  work  and  encourage  him  in  every  way. 
He  in  return  venerated  her,  and  was  grateful  to  her  to  the 
end  of  his  life. 

The  Indians,  meanwhile,  were  not  overlooked.  Dis- 
possessed of  their  lands  and  driven  west  by  the  whites, 
they  now  found  refuge  and  support  in  the  Catholic 
Church.  A  considerable  number  of  them,  whose  fathers 
had  been  instructed  and  baptized  by  the  Jesuits,  were  well- 
disposed  toward  Catholicity.  Protestant  ministers  made 
repeated  attempts  to  gain  their  confidence,  but  were 
always  coldly  received.23  "What  had  they  to  do,"  asked 
the  Indians,  "with  married  preachers,  men  who  wore  no 
crucifix,  and  said  no  rosary?  They  wanted  only  the 
Black  Robes  to  teach  them  how  to  serve  God.  They  even 
went  so  far  as  to  appeal  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  asking  that  the  married  ministers  might  be  recalled 
and  Catholic  priests  sent  in  their  place."24 

In  1823  a  deputation  of  the  Indians  of  Missouri  came  to 
St.  Louis,  and  had  an  interview  with  the  Governor.  They 
also  saw  the  pastor  of  the  Cathedral,  begged  that  mission- 
aries be  sent  among  them,  and  promised  that  any  priests 
who  should  come  would  be  accorded  the  very  best  treat- 
ment. The  following  year  a  family  of  Iroquois  or  Algon- 
quins  journeyed  to  Florissant  to  have  their  children 
baptized.  On  another  occasion  the  head  of  a  family 
brought  the  dead  body  of  his  son,  wrapped  in  a  buffalo  robe, 
to  a  priest,  asking  to  have  it  interred  in  consecrated  ground. 

The  all-absorbing  desire  of  the  missionaries  was  to  go  at 
once  to  the  Indians.  The  scarcity  of  priests,  however, 
made  it  impossible  for  them  to  found  new  missions,  so  in 
1824  they  decided  to  open  a  school  in  Florissant  where 
the  children  of  the  various  tribes  could  be  instructed, 
baptized,  and  brought  up  in  the  Catholic  faith.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  fact  that  the  United  States  Government  granted 
a  subsidy  to  this  school,  it  offered  to  the  Jesuits  a  further 

23  "Each  sect  desired  the  conversion  of  the  Indians  as  a  proof  of  the  divinity 
of  their  particular  doctrine."  (Letter  of  Father  Van  Quickenborne  to  Mr. 
De  Nef,  May  30,  1829.) 

24  Letter  of  Father  De  Smet  to  his  father,  Aug.  20,  1824. 


FIRST  LABORS  53 

advantage,  in  that,  while  the  scholastics  were  awaiting 
ordination,  they  could  study  the  language  and  habits  of 
the  Indians.  It  was  further  hoped  that  the  Indian  pupils 
would  eventually  be  of  assistance  as  interpreters  and 
catechists.  The  Ladies  of  the  Sacred  Heart  shortly 
afterward  opened  a  similar  school  for  Indian  girls. 

Father  Van  Quickenborne  built  a  frame  school-building 
of  two  stories  and  about  forty  foot  frontage  adjoining  the 
mission  house,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  Indian 
children  began  to  arrive,  some  being  sent  by  Catholic 
families  in  St.  Louis,  others  by  superintendents  of  the 
tribes  in  Missouri,  a  few  being  brought  by  their  own 
parents.  Two  months  after  the  opening  of  the  school 
Peter  De  Smet  writes:  "Already  two  chiefs  of  the  Ayonais 
have  brought  their  children  to  us  for  instruction.  One 
of  the  chieftains,  in  giving  his  children  to  the  Superior, 
said,  'Black  Robe,  this  one  is  an  orphan  boy;  the  others 
have  lost  a  mother  whom  they  loved  tenderly;  in  you 
they  will  find  both  father  and  mother.  By  teaching  them 
to  know  the  Master  of  life  you  will  be  giving  them  every 
good."'  Father  De  Smet  describes  this  chief  as  "a  giant 
in  stature,  tawny  of  skin,  hair  and  face  daubed  with 
vermilion  after  the  manner  of  savages.25  His  ears  were 
pierced  with  many  holes,  and  from  his  head  hung  two  tin 
tubes  in  the  form  of  a  cross  filled  with  feathers  of  dif- 
ferent colors.  His  clothes  consisted  of  a  green  shirt  and 
knee-breeches  of  doe-skin,  attached  to  which  were  the  tails 
of  wildcats  that  flapped  about  his  legs  as  he  walked." 
In  the  same  letter  Father  De  Smet  goes  on  to  say,  "The 
children  are  very  attentive  at  the  instructions.  They  are 
being  prepared  for  baptism,  and  we  hope  they  will  one  day 
be  apostles  to  their  respective  tribes.  Many  more  chil- 
dren are  on  their  way  to  our  school,  and  if  we  had  the 
means  we  could  accommodate  about  eighty  pupils."26 

Before  long  the  children  that  congregated  at  the  school 

25  It  is  an  abuse  of  the  word  to  speak  of  the  "  redskins ' '  of  America.  "  None 
among  the  peoples  of  the  New  World  have  red  skin,  unless  painted,  which 
often  happens.  Even  the  reddish  tinge  of  the  skin  resembling  that  of  the 
Ethiopian  is  found  only  among  half-breeds.  In  America  one  sees  people  of 
various  shades  of  yellow  from  brownish  to  yellow,  and  even  paler." — Den- 
iker,  "Les  Races  et  les  Peuples  de  la  Terre,"  Paris,  1900,  p.  593. 

26  Letter  to  his  father,  Aug.  20,  1824. 


54      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

represented  seven  or  eight  different  tribes.  They  were 
taught  writing  and  English.  The  older  ones  were  in- 
structed in  agriculture,  and  in  order  to  incite  them  to  take 
up  the  manual  labor  inseparable  from  this  study,  it  was 
necessary  for  the  Fathers  to  join  in  the  plowing  and  spad- 
ing of  the  soil,  as  the  savage  regards  this  as  menial  work, 
and  hence  beneath  his  dignity.27 

The  day  came  when  the  Catholic  families  of  St.  Louis 
in  default  of  a  college  sent  their  children  to  the  mission 
school.  At  first  the  scholastics  of  Florissant  taught  the 
young  Indians,  and  Father  De  Smet  was  at  the  head  of 
this  department.  After  the  "third  year,"  however,  he 
seems  to  have  been  left  quite  alone.  No  human  motive 
could  have  persuaded  him  to  seek  this  particular  phase  of 
the  work,  for  those  who  know  the  idleness,  the  unsteadi- 
ness, and  the  revolting  filth  of  the  Indians,  know  also  that 
constant  contact  with  these  gross  natures  requires  a 
heroic  charity  of  which  God  alone  can  judge  the  price.2* 
But  nothing  deterred  this  man,  who,  upon  his  arrival  in 
St.  Louis,  wrote  to  his  father:  "To  suffer  and  die  for  the 
salvation  of  souls  is  the  sole  ambition  of  a  true  mis- 
sionary.    29 

The  Indian  children  grew  and  prospered,  and  while  at 
Florissant  contracted  industrious  habits  and  learned  pious 
practices.     When,  however,   this  part  of  their  education 

27  The  presence  of  the  children  was  a  means  of  reaching  the  parents.  "A 
short  time  ago,"  writes  Joost  Van  Assche,  "a  party  of  about  thirty  Indians 
came  to  visit  us.  One  of  them,  seeing  his  son  carrying  a  bucket  of  water, 
asked  him  had  he  become  a  slave — they  call  those  who  work,  slaves — 
but  after  three  days,  seeing  that  the  children  were  well  treated,  the  Indians 
suffered  a  change  of  mind  and  spoke  quite  otherwise.  During  their  visit 
they  entirely  consumed  one  of  our  biggest  beeves  and  nearly  all  our  potatoes. 
The  day  the  caravan  arrived  one  of  the  Indians  said  he  wished  to  take  away 
his  son,  who  seemed  quite  willing  to  go.  Before  leaving  the  father  made 
the  boy  recite  his  prayers  and  other  things  he  knew  perfectly.  He  then  in 
my  presence  said  to  him :  '  My  son,  I  will  not  take  you  with  me.  You  have 
everything  here  that  is  good  for  you.  You  pray  night  and  morning  to  the 
Master  of  life  while  we  are  roaming  the  woods  like  wild  beasts.  Remain 
here,  and  I  will  come  soon  again  to  see  you."  (Letter  to  Mr.  De  Nef,  Dec. 
4,  1825.) 

28  "We  pray  fervently  for  the  conversion  of  the  Indians,  and  to  obtain 
laborers  in  the  missionary  field,"  wrote  Madam  Duchesne,  "but  they  must 
be  men  who  have  died  to  all  things,  for  every  feature  about  the  work  is 
against  human  nature.  Faith  only,  and  the  love  of  Christ  suffering,  can  sup- 
port a  soul  in  such  labor."     (June  10,  1824.) 

29  Aug.  26,  1823. 


FIRST  LABORS  55 

was  finished,  there  was  no  alternative  but  to  send  them 
back  to  their  tribes,  there  to  be  deprived  of  religious  help, 
and  exposed,  in  their  own  families,  to  gross  superstition 
and  revolting  immorality.  To  meet  this  situation  the 
Jesuits  formulated  a  plan  whereby,  instead  of  returning 
home,  the  young  men  upon  leaving  school  should  marry 
the  Christian  girls  of  their  tribes — girls  who  had  been 
educated  by  the  nuns  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  Each  family 
was  to  receive  a  certain  allotment  of  land,  and  thus  the 
newly-baptized,  under  the  vigilant  eyes  of  the  mission- 
aries, would  found  a  Christian  village,  the  first  foundation 
serving  as  a  model  for  others.30  This  plan  met  with  the 
approval  of  President  Jackson  and  also  that  of  Very  Rev. 
John  Roothaan,  General  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,31  but 
two  obstacles  were  encountered  which  rendered  it  im- 
practicable. 

The  first  difficulty  grew  out  of  the  limited  resources 
of  the  Florissant  mission,  which  in  1827  barely  sufficed 
to  feed  thirty  pupils,  and  which  could  not  be  expanded  or 
stretched  so  far  as  to  purchase  the  six  thousand  acres  of 
land  necessary  for  the  project.32  The  second  difficulty  was 
found  in  the  unstable  character  of  the  Indians,  and  still 
more  in  the  land-grabbing  policy  of  the  United  States 
Government.  When  the  Osages  consented  to  cede  their 
Missouri  lands  to  the  Government  and  retire  to  Indian 
Territory,  they  took  away  with  them  the  greater  number 
of  the  children  at  the  mission.  From  this  time  on  the 
number  of  scholars,  never  exceeding  forty,  decreased 
steadily. 

This  train  of  circumstances  forced  the  Fathers,  in  1830, 
to  close  their  school.  Providence  was  calling  them  to 
labor  in  other  fields.  They  continued  striving  by  every 
means,  nevertheless,  to  follow  and  convert  the  Indians 
who  were   constantly  moving   further   and  further  west, 

30  In  a  letter  to  Mr.  De  Nef  (May  30,  1829)  Father  Van  Quickenborne  set 
forth  this  project,  and  its  advantages.  This  letter,  almost  in  its  entirety, 
is  to  be  found  in  the  Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  Vol.  iv,  p.  583. 

31  Cf.  The  Woodstock  Letters,  Vol.  xxv,  p.  354. 

32  The  Government  which  had  approved  the  scheme  should  have  sup- 
ported it,  but  Father  Van  Quickenborne  hardly  hoped  for  this:  "The  ex- 
pense for  one  year  exceeded  1,600  francs  ($320)  and  the  Government 
paid  only  400  francs  ($80).  .  .  .  For  many  reasons  I  think  it  is  not  to  our 
interest  to  ask  for  their  cooperation."      (Letter  cited.) 


56      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

and  Father  Van  Quickenborne,  at  the  price  of  great  dif- 
ficulty and  inexpressible  hardships,  started  new  missions 
among  the  tribes. 

As  to  Father  De  Smet,  he  was  the  last  to  leave  his 
beloved  school,  where,  to  the  end,  he  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  the  children  docile  to  his  directions  and  attentive 
to  the  lessons  he  taught  them.  He  had  learned  their 
language  and  come  to  understand  their  habits.  Later, 
when  he  was  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  in  Oregon,  and 
again  became  instructor  to  the  Indians,  he  needed  but  to 
recall  to  memory  the  customs  and  organization  of  the 
Florissant  school. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE    ST.    LOUIS    COLLEGE — SOJOURN   IN   EUROPE 
(1830-1837) 

St.  Louis,  "the  Queen  of  the  West" — Building  the  College — Father  De 
Smet,  Prefect,  Professor  of  English,  and  Procurator — Rapid  Growth — 
The  College  is  Given  the  Title  and  Privileges  of  a  University — Financial 
Embarrassment — Father  De  Smet  is  Sent  to  Europe  to  Obtain  Money — 
His  Health  Requires  a  Change — A  Visit  to  His  Family,  to  Benefactors, 
and  to  Mr.  De  Nef — A  Financial  Success — Father  De  Smet  Wishes  to  Sail 
— A  Serious  Illness  Forces  Him  to  Return  to  Belgium — He  Obtains 
Permission  to  Leave  the  Society — Services  Rendered  to  the  Nuns  at 
Termonde — The  Foundation  of  the  Carmelites  at  Alost — His  Devotion 
to  the  Missions — As  Soon  as  His  Health  is  Restored  He  Returns  to 
Missouri,  and  is  Readmitted  to  the  Society  of  Jesus. 

UPON  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  twenty  miles 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  River,  and  in  the 
center  of  an  immense  plain  extending  from  the  Great 
Lakes  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  from  the  Alleghanies  to 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  stands  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  "the 
Queen  of  the  West,"  as  it  has  long  been  called  by  Amer- 
icans. 

Few  cities  equal  it  in  its  commercial  and  agricultural 
advantages.  A  network  of  streams,  whose  navigable 
waters  total  some  thirty  thousand  miles,  formed  by  the 
tributaries  of  the  Mississippi,  makes  St.  Louis  the  center 
of  the  whole  Mississippi  basin.  The  Missouri,  the  Ar- 
kansas, the  Illinois,  the  Ohio,  and  the  Wisconsin  rivers 
flow  through  States  abounding  in  wheat,  coal,  minerals,  and 
timber  of  every  variety.  This  river  system  waters  a  land 
that  is  exceeded  in  fertility  by  no  country  in  the  world. 

Founded  in  1764  by  French  colonists  from  Louisiana, 

St.  Louis  was  at  that  time  an  outpost  from  which  trappers 

penetrated  into  the  wilderness  to  trade  with  the  Indians, 

and  to  hunt  the  beaver  and  the  bison,  returning  after  each 

5 


58      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

expedition  to  place  their  furs  in  its  market,  which  was  a 
dominant  factor  in  the  raw  fur  trade  of  the  world. 

St.  Louis,  with  Louisiana,  was  ceded  to  the  United  States 
by  Napoleon  in  1803,  and  soon  thereafter  began  the  settling 
up  of  the  rich  country  that  to-day  forms  the  State  of 
Missouri.  Through  concessions  of  land  and  the  granting 
of  immunities,  the  Government  encouraged  immigration, 
and  the  population  increased  rapidly.  When  the  Jesuits 
arrived  in  Missouri,  St.  Louis  was  entering  upon  a  develop- 
ment destined  to  make  it  one  of  the  first  cities  of  the 
New  World.1  In  1822  the  town  was  granted  a  municipal 
charter,  and  four  years  later  (1826)  it  became  the  seat  of 
a  Bishopric  independent  of  the  See  of  New  Orleans.2  The 
population  of  Missouri,  which  for  the  greater  part  was 
Catholic  in  the  beginning,  began  to  feel  the  influence  of 
Protestantism,  as  exemplified  by  Methodists,  Quakers, 
Anabaptists,  and  Presbyterians,  all  of  whom  had  their 
ministers,  preachers,  and  schools,  and  to  offset  this  in- 
fluence a  Catholic  college  was  badly  needed  for  those  of 
good  faith,  who  were  thrown  into  contact  with  the  dis- 
senters.3 

Before  returning  to  France  Bishop  Dubourg  offered  the 
Jesuits  a  large  tract  of  land  just  outside  the  city  limits,  and 
Bishop  Rosati's  first  act,  when  he  became  Bishop  of  St. 
Louis,  was  to  renew  the  offer  made  by  his  predecessor. 

The  main  object  of  the  Jesuits  in  coming  to  Missouri 
had  been  the  evangelization  of  the  Indians ;  but  a  ministry 
to  the  whites  seemed  to  offer  at  that  time  an  opportunity 
for  more  abundant  and  lasting  good.  Father  Van  Quicken- 
borne  submitted  the  proposition  to  Father  Dzierozynski, 

1In  1820  St.  Louis  had  about  5,000  inhabitants;  in  1850,  80,000,  and  the 
census  of  to-day  credits  it  with  over  700,000. 

2  Overcome  by  the  fatigues  and  difficulties  of  administration,  Bishop 
Dubourg  returned  to  France  in  1826,  where,  as  Archbishop  of  Besangon,  he 
died  in  1833.  Bishop  De  Neckere,  a  Belgian,  succeeded  him  at  New  Or- 
leans, and  Bishop  Rosati,  who  since  1823  had  acted  as  Coadjutor  at  St. 
Louis,  became  titular  Bishop  of  that  city  in  1827. 

Joseph  Rosati  was  born  in  1790  at  Sora  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  He 
joined  the  congregation  of  St.  Lazarus  and  early  in  life  consecrated  himself 
to  the  American  Missions.  This  worthy  man  created  the  diocese  of  St. 
Louis,  which  he  administered  for  sixteen  years,  during  which  time  he  hon- 
ored with  his  constant  friendship  the  Fathers  of  the  Society  of  Jesus. 

3  A  former  college,  confided  by  Bishop  Dubourg  to  some  secular  priests, 
had  not  prospered. 


THE  ST.  LOUIS  COLLEGE  59 

who,  regarding  it  favorably,  confided  to  the  Superior  at 
Florissant  the  foundation  of  the  new  college.  Money 
being  an  important  factor  in  the  project,  Father  Van 
Quickenborne  was  obliged  to  raise  what  he  could  by  sub- 
scription from  the  people  of  St.  Louis.  His  efforts  in  this 
direction  were  rewarded  by  the  collection  of  $3,000,  which 
was  but  half  of  the  sum  required;  for  the  balance  he 
trusted  to  a  beneficent  Providence. 

In  the  autumn  of  1828  work  was  begun  under  his  direc- 
tion and  that  of  Father  Verhaegen.  Father  De  Smet  often 
laid  aside  the  duties  of  his  professorship  and  for  a  change  of 
occupation  went  to  St.  Louis  to  help  in  the  construction 
work.  With  his  own  hands  he  cut  stone,  carried  bricks, 
and  directed  the  sanitary  arrangements.  In  less  than  a 
year  the  building  was  finished  and  Father  Verhaegen  was 
appointed  Rector,  with  Fathers  De  Theux  and  Elet  as 
directors  of  the  institution.  The  college  opened  Novem- 
ber 2,  1829,  with  forty  pupils,  including  both  day- 
scholars  and  boarders,  and  from  that  time  on  the  attend- 
ance grew  constantly.  Three  months  later  Father  De 
Smet  writes:  "There  are  already  more  than  one  hundred 
scholars  at  the  St.  Louis  College,  the  greater  part  of  them 
being  Protestants,  and  many  of  these  coming  from  a  dis- 
tance of  more  than  four  hundred  leagues."4  This  rapid 
growth  called  for  a  corresponding  increase  in  the  faculty, 
and  in  1830  the  school  at  Florissant  was  closed  and 
Father  De  Smet  sent  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  filled  the 
offices  of  Procurator,  Prefect  of  Studies,  and  Professor 
of  English. 

"Our  establishment  continues  to  prosper,"  he  writes  to 
his  sister.  "We  have  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pupils,  of  whom  half  are  Protestants.  You  can  picture 
me  in  the  midst  of  this  mischievous  band,  making  deafen- 
ing noises  at  recreation,  and  leading  me  a  merry  dance 
when  it  gets  the  opportunity.  In  spite  of  all  this,  however, 
we  have  every  reason  to  be  satisfied,  since  the  greater 
number  behave  well,  and  make  rapid  progress  in  their 
studies."5  It  was  evident  that  Father  De  Smet  regretted 
the  separation  from  his  little  savages  at  Florissant,  but  his 

4  Letter  to  his  sister  Rosalie,  Feb.  I,  1830. 

5  St.  Louis,  May  9,  1832. 


60      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

kindness  and  good  spirits  soon  won  the  affection  of  his 
new  pupils,  many  of  whom  remembered  him  in  after-life, 
and  contributed  to  his  missions. 

In  1 83 1,  Father  Roothaan,  General  of  the  Jesuits,  deem- 
ing the  future  of  the  Missouri  Mission  assured,  detached  it 
from  the  Maryland  Province  to  which  it  had  hitherto 
belonged.  Father  De  Theux  was  appointed  Superior,  and 
Father  Van  Quickenborne,  happy  to  be  relieved  of  author- 
ity, left  at  once  for  the  west  to  consecrate  his  remaining 
years  to  the  conversion  of  the  Indian  tribes.  In  conjunc- 
tion with  these  changes,  the  Provincial  sent  to  St.  Louis 
from  Georgetown  three  other  Belgians,  one  of  whom  was 
Father  James  Van  de  Velde,  the  future  Bishop  of  Natchez.6 
Every  year  saw  an  increase  in  the  number  of  scholars 
attending  the  college  and  eventually  it  became  necessary 
to  add  a  new  building  to  the  original  group.  On  December 
28,  1832,  the  State  of  Missouri  bestowed  upon  the  college 
the  title  and  charter  of  a  University,  where  letters,  science, 
medicine,  law,  and  theology  7  were  taught,  and  from  that 
time  on  the  establishment  became  one  of  the  leading  intel- 
lectual centers  of  the  United  States. 

The  success  achieved  by  the  Fathers  was  not  confined  to 
the  activities  of  the  class-room  alone ;  they  became  equally 
celebrated  as  preachers.  Being  without  a  church  of  their 
own,  the  pulpit  at  the  cathedral  was  offered  to  them  every 
Sunday,  and  to  the  congregations  gathering  there  they 
preached  sometimes  in  French  and  sometimes  in  English. 
The  Protestants  were  not  slow  in  denouncing  the  "papist 
invasion  of  the  Mississippi  valley,"  and,  as  it  were,  to 
offset  this,  the  Jesuits  added  the  apostolate  of  the  pen 
to  that  of  the  spoken  word,  by  taking  over  the  direction 
of  "The  Shepherd  of  the  Valley,"  a  newspaper  founded 
by  Bishop    Rosati.8      This   organ    defended    Catholicism 

6  Arriving  in  America  with  Father  Nerinckx  in  18 17,  Father  Van  de  Velde 
soon  became  famous  as  an  orator  and  a  distinguished  humanist. 

7  The  courses  of  law  and  medicine  were  given  by  outside  professors. 

8  Father  Verhaegen,  justly  proud  of  his  work,  gives  the  benefactors  of 
the  mission  an  account  of  the  things  achieved :  "We  Belgians,  who  came  here 
ignorant  of  English,  now  write  in  this  language  and  have  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing Protestants,  who  read  our  paper  eagerly.  They  find  in  it  the  truth 
they  boast  of  seeking,  and  are  finally  convinced.  It  has  an  immense  circu- 
lation, and  accomplishes  much  good.  Thus  we  not  only  labor  to  form  the 
hearts  of  our  pupils,  who  will  revive  piety  in  their  own  homes,  but  from  our 


THE  ST.  LOUIS  COLLEGE  61 

against  Protestant  attacks,  and  brought  about  many 
conversions. 

Fanatical  religious  opposition  was,  however,  the  least 
of  the  trials  that  beset  the  missionaries  at  this  time.  A 
great  disaster  fell  upon  the  community  in  the  shape  of  a 
terrific  cyclone  that  devastated  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi. 
The  college  was  all  but  demolished,  the  pupils  and  the  pro- 
fessors barely  escaping  with  their  lives.  Then  came  an 
epidemic  of  cholera,  that  claimed  more  than  two  hundred 
victims  a  day,  and  forced  the  institution  to  close  its  doors 
for  three  months.  Three  of  the  professors  broke  down  in 
health  from  overwork  brought  about  by  these  conditions, 
and  their  classes  had  to  be  cared  for  by  the  other  already 
overburdened  teachers.  "  But, "  writes  the  Rector,  ' '  in  spite 
of  all  these  difficulties  that  confront  us  daily  we  walk  erecto 
capite."9 

The  limitations  and  embarrassments  of  poverty  were, 
perhaps,  not  less  difficult  to  bear  than  the  other  misfor- 
tunes.10 Father  De  Smet,  as  Procurator,  bore  the  brunt 
of  the  impoverished  exchequer.  "You  will  be  surprised," 
he  writes  to  his  sister,  ' '  that  I  am  Father  Procurator,  that 
is,  steward  of  the  college — I,  who  in  Flanders  could  not 
keep  a  penny  in  my  pocket !  I  am  general  purchaser,  and 
it  is  no  easy  task,  especially  in  this  college,  with  money 
as  scarce  as  it  is.  My  cash-box  is  as  empty  and  smooth 
as  the  palm  of  my  hand,  and  yet  from  every  side  I  am  be- 
sieged for  this  thing  and  that,  and,  lacking  the  means  to 
satisfy  these  demands,  am  called  stingy."11  Nor  did 
poverty  and  want  settle  themselves  upon  the  Jesuits  only 
in  St.  Louis;  Father  De  Theux  had  great  difficulty  in  se- 
curing sufficient  means  to  feed  the  novices,  and  Father 

college  we  preach,  so  to  speak,  to  every  part  of  the  West."  (Letter  to  Mr. 
De  Nef,  May  26,  1833.) 

9  Letter  to  Mr.  De  Nef,  May  26,  1833. 

10  In  alluding  to  the  title  of  University  recently  bestowed  upon  the  college, 
Father  Verhaegen  wrote:  "In  according  us  the  distinction  bestowed  on  no 
other  institution  in  Missouri,  the  Legislature  gives  public  and  unequivocal 
proof  of  the  importance  of  our  institution,  and  the  esteem  in  which  it  is  held. 
But  it  is  a  title  without  endowment,  and  one,  moreover,  that  imposes  upon 
us  the  necessity  of  proving  ourselves  worthy  of  the  esteem  we  enjoy.  The 
day  school  being  free,  the  revenues  from  the  boarders,  which  must  meet  the 
running  expenses  of  the  house,  are  insufficient  to  permit  us  to  extend  our 
work,  and  accomplish  all  the  good  we  could  do  in  our  position."  (Letter 
cited.)  "  May  9,  1832. 


62      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Kenny,  after  sojourning  at  the  mission  as  a  visitor,  tells 
us  that  the  houses  at  Florissant  and  at  St.  Charles  were 
"miserably  poor."12 

The  Catholics  of  Missouri,  for  the  most  part  of  Canadian 
and  Irish  origin,  had  already  made  such  great  sacrifices  to 
build  the  college  that  nothing  more  could  be  asked  of  them. 
Money  was  an  absolute  necessity.  Additional  missionaries 
were  also  needed,  and  these  considerations,  in  conjunction 
with  the  fact  that  the  Fathers  were  anxious  to  have  their 
Missouri  Province  united  with  the  Belgian  Province  of 
the  Society,  moved  them  to  make  an  appeal  to  Belgium. 
Father  De  Smet  was  chosen  for  this  mission.  The  priva- 
tions he  had  suffered  at  Florissant,  and  his  unremitting 
labor  in  St.  Louis,  had  begun  to  tell  on  his  robust  consti- 
tution, so  that,  even  had  the  dire  needs  of  his  community 
not  required  him  to  take  this  journey,  his  health  would 
have  demanded  some  such  relaxation. 

Father  De  Smet  left  St.  Louis  toward  the  end  of  Sep- 
tember, 1833,  and  spent  some  time  en  route  at  Georgetown. 
The  second  Council  of  Baltimore  was  about  to  take  place, 
and  as  the  question  of  the  Indian  Missions  would  come 
before  it,  he  wished  to  know  the  result  of  its  deliberations 
before  sailing.  The  Council  advocated  the  policy  of 
officially  confiding  this  field  of  missionary  work  to  the 
Jesuits,  and,  in  the  hope  of  soon  being  able  to  take  up  his 
ministrations  to  the  Indians,  he  left  at  once  to  plead 
their  cause  with  his  compatriots. 

He  landed  at  Havre  in  the  winter  of  1834,  going  at  once 
to  see  Father  Van  Lil,  the  Belgian  Provincial  residing 
then  at  Ghent.  From  there  he  wrote  to  his  brother 
Charles:  "After  this  long  absence  I  am  pining  to  see  you 
and  embrace  you.  For  three  years  I  have  had  no  news  of 
my  family :  please,  I  beg  you,  tell  me  all  that  has  happened 
and  all  about  each  one.  Where  is  my  dear  brother  Francis, 
and  where  are  my  dear  sisters  Rosalie  and  Jeannette? 
and  tell  me  if  my  sisters  Rollier  and  Therese  are  in  good 
health,  etc."13  A  few  days  later  he  arrived  in  Termonde, 
and  after  an  absence  of  fourteen  years  beheld  again  his 

12  Letter  to  Mr.  De  Nef,  Nov.  7,  1832. 

13  Ghent,  Oost-Eecloo,  Jan.  6,  1834. 


SOJOURN  IN  EUROPE  63 

old  home  and  the  places  that  had  witnessed  his  childish 
feats  of  valor.  The  father's  chair  by  the  fireside  was 
vacant,  but,  despite  this  sorrow,  he  had  much  cause  for 
rejoicing,  for  he  was  united  to  his  brothers  and  sisters  by 
ties  of  the  tenderest  affection.  Although  his  eldest  sister 
Rosalie  had  married  Charles  Van  Mossevelde,  the  younger 
children  still  called  her  "mother."  Charles  and  Francis 
occupied  honorable  positions  in  the  magistracy,  and  the 
other  members  of  the  family  were  equally  prosperous  and 
happy.  God  had  blessed  their  marriages,  and  charming 
children  smiled  from  the  cradle  and  climbed  upon  Uncle 
Peter's  knee.  The  gladness  of  home-coming  did  not, 
however,  render  the  missionary  oblivious  of  his  adopted 
family  beyond  the  seas,  and  after  a  few  days'  rest  he  set 
out  upon  his  journey  through  Belgium. 

Father  De  Smet's  first  visits  were  to  the  parents  of  his 
associates  to  bring  them  news  of  the  absent  ones  in  Amer- 
ica. He  told  them  of  their  labors  and  successes,  and 
made  them  appreciate  the  honor  of  having  a  son  or  a 
brother  among  the  apostles  of  the  New  World.  He  then 
sought  out  the  benefactors,  to  give  them  an  account  of  the 
progress  made  by  the  missionaries  in  Missouri.  To  Mr. 
Peter  De  Nef  of  Turnhout,  more  than  to  any  one  else,  did 
the  missionaries  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude.  Concerning  this 
worthy  man  a  word  is  not  out  of  place. 

He  was  born  in  1774  of  a  humble  family  of  farmers, 
and  after  a  brilliant  school  career  entered  upon  commercial 
life.  His  business  prospered  beyond  his  most  sanguine 
hopes,  and  he  was  moved  to  devote  his  fortune  to  the 
cause  of  religion  and  good  works.  Seeing  the  clergy 
decimated  by  the  Revolution,  he  opened  a  school  in  his  own 
house  in  which  young  men  could  be  prepared  for  the 
priesthood  and  the  missionary  field.  Instruction  was  free, 
Mr.  De  Nef  himself  teaching  some  of  the  classes.  So  great 
was  the  success  of  his  undertaking  that,  eventually,  he  had 
to  provide  enlarged  accommodations  for  the  institution.14 
The  school  gave  a  complete  course  in  the  humanities,  and 
in  1830  numbered  one  hundred  and  eighty  pupils. 

14  The  school  was  transferred  to  Rue  d'Herenthals,  and  later  became  the 
well-known  college  now  under  the  direction  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Society 
of  Jesus. 


64      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

By  reason  of  the  fact  that  he  was  appointed  Commis- 
sioner of  the  district  of  Turnhout,  also  member  of  Congress 
and  later  on  Deputy  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
Mr.  De  Nef  was  compelled  to  give  up  his  classes.  He  con- 
fided them  to  the  priests  of  the  diocese  of  Mechlin,  reserv- 
ing to  himself  the  management  of  the  institution.  The 
assumption  of  these  distinguished  offices  did  not,  however, 
prevent  this  intrepid  worker  from  carrying  on  the  active 
management  of  a  linen  textile  factory  and  a  large  wine 
business.  These  prosperous  and  varied  industries  enabled 
him  to  maintain  the  college,  clothe  and  feed  poor  students, 
and  endow  the  missions  in  a  generous  way.  "For  the 
benefit  of  the  missions,"  he  writes  to  Father  De  Theux, 
"I  have  formed  an  association  with  my  honorable  friends, 
Messrs.  De  Boey,  Le  Paige,  and  Proost,  of  Antwerp,  the 
object  of  which  is  to  invest  in  the  securities  of  different 
countries.  Should  any  losses  result  they  are  to  be  assumed 
by  us  entirely,  but  a  large  portion  of  any  profits  that  may 
accrue  is  to  be  given  to  our  beloved  missions."15 

Not  content  with  furnishing  the  money,  this  extraor- 
dinary benefactor  provided  even  the  men.  Over  five 
hundred  priests  received  their  first  instructions  in  his 
establishment,  and  among  this  number  many  consecrated 
their  lives  to  the  missions  and  became  brave  and  inde- 
fatigable workers  in  the  United  States.  The  Superiors 
of  the  Society  of  Jesus  left  to  "Father"  De  Nef,  as  he  was 
called,  the  choosing  of  those  who  were  to  be  sent  to  the 
American  Missions.  In  addition  to  his  regular  pupils  he 
often  accepted  seminarists  and  priests  from  Holland  as 
well  as  Belgium,  and  not  infrequently  he  undertook  to 
furnish  lay  Brothers  to  the  missions.16     Father  De  Smet's 

16  Turnhout,  Aug.  23,  1832. 

To  one  of  his  friends  who  had  sent  him  a  generous  donation  for  his  enter- 
prise he  replied:  "I  rejoice  in  the  Lord  for  the  good  use  you  make  of  your 
fortune.  As  for  myself,  I  am  persuaded  that  I  would  fail  in  my  first  duty,  if, 
in  my  position,  I  did  not  do  all  in  my  power  to  further  the  cause  of  our  holy 
religion.  Unhappy  would  I  be  if  I  did  not  obey  the  voice  of  God,  and, 
unmindful  of  the  honor,  should  refuse  to  be  His  instrument.  Should  I  fail 
in  this  respect,  I  would  forever  reproach  myself  for  my  cowardly  negli- 
gence."    (To  Chevalier  de  Donnea  de  Grand  Aaz,  March  27,  1830.) 

16  Never  was  he  so  happy  as  when  he  could  announce  the  arrival  of 
new  recruits.  "Following  the  instructions  given  to  me  by  your  predeces- 
sors," he  writes  to  Father  De  Theux,  "I  have  admitted  several  young  men 
who  will  be  received  into  the  Society  of  Jesus  in  America.     I  know  their 


SOJOURN  IN  EUROPE  65. 

account  of  the  use  that  had  been  made  of  the  generous 
donations  was  very  gratifying  to  Mr.  De  Nef.  He  gave 
the  good  priest  a  large  sum  of  money  and  promised  to> 
send  priests  for  the  extension  of  the  work  in  Missouri. 

Following  these  first  visits,  which  were  made  through 
motives  of  kindness  and  a  sense  of  obligation,  Father  De 
Smet  set  out  upon  the  unpleasant  task  of  begging.  He 
was  most  cordially  received  by  the  Archbishop  of  Mechlin. 
"I  have  obtained,"  he  writes,  "many  things  for  the  mis- 
sions, among  others  a  silver  gilt  chalice  and  two  pictures. 
Several  people  are  collecting  books,  vestments,  and  such 
articles  as  are  needed  for  the  altar."17 

At  Louvain  he  met  his  friend  and  colleague,  the  Abbe  De 
Ram,  who,  although  but  thirty  years  of  age,  was  then  the 
rector  of  the  Catholic  University.  From  Liege  he  writes: 
' ' I  have  succeeded  very  well  here." 18  Bishop  Van  Bommel 
had  not  forgotten  the  services  rendered  to  the  diocese  by 
the  Superior  in  Missouri,  and  had  given  generously  to  the 
mission.  Madam  De  Theux  also  was  instrumental  in  inter- 
esting a  number  of  people  in  the  work  over  which  her  son 
presided. 

Father  De  Smet's  next  move  was  to  Namur,  from  where 
he  reports:  "I  have  visited  more  than  fifty  families  and 
have  been  most  successful.  I  shall  proceed  next  to  Mons, 
then  to  Tournai,  and  on  to  Brussels." 19  In  a  letter  written 
to  his  brother  from  Nivelles,  he  says:  "When  I  left  Ter- 
monde  I  thought  I  could  easily  canvass  Belgium  and  com- 
plete my  business  in  a  fortnight,  but  here  I  am,  after  six 
weeks  of  traveling,  with  only  about  a  fourth  of  my  work 
accomplished.  I  hope,  however,  to  be  able  to  spend  a 
few  days  with  you  and  to  rest  from  my  travels.  I  am 
more  fatigued  now  than  I  was  after  my  voyage  from 
America."  20 

sterling  qualities,  and  have  been  struck  with  the  fortitude  which  they  have 
shown  in  abandoning  parents,  friends,  country,  and  a  life  of  ease,  to  face 
every  kind  of  hardship  and  privation  with  the  sole  object  of  winning  men  to 
God.  I  rejoice  in  sending  them  to  you,  and  I  am  confident  that  our  poor 
Americans  and  Indians  will  find  in  them  support  and  consolation.  We 
lose  them  now  only  to  find  them  again  in  heaven,  surrounded  by  blessed 
souls  saved  through  their  labors."     (Letter,  Oct.  16,  1833.) 

17  Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  Louvain,  Feb.  27,  1834. 

13  Liege,  March  9,  1834. 

19  Namur,  March  14th.  20  March  24th. 


66      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

When  writing,  later  on,  to  his  brother,  he  tells  us  how  his 
trials  and  labors  were  now  and  then  rewarded  by  some 
unlooked-for  piece  of  good  fortune :  "I  expected  to  be  with 
you  before  Easter,  but  Providence  intervened  to  prevent  it. 
An  affair  of  small  importance  that  could  be  settled  in  an 
hour  called  me  to  Enghien.  There,  by  chance,  I  met  a 
certain  priest,  and  in  conversation  we  got  around  to  the 
subject  of  books.  He  pointed  out  a  house  where  he  thought 
I  could  procure  some,  and  when  we  called  to  broach  the 
subject  I  received  a  donation  of  nothing  less  than  the  entire 
library:  Baronius  in  22  volumes  in  folio;  The  Bollandists 
in  40  volumes,  all  the  Councils,  Moreri's  large  dictionary, 
a  history  of  the  Church,  a  large  number  of  the  Fathers  of 
the  Church,  and  several  other  works."21  The  books 
were  piled  into  the  diligence  and  brought  to  Brussels  that 
same  evening,  and  in  a  few  months  were  adorning  the 
shelves  of  the  library  in  St.  Louis. 

Upon  leaving  Brussels  Father  De  Smet  visited  succes- 
sively Erps-Querbs,  Aerschot,  Montaigu,  Diest,  Santhoven, 
and  Antwerp,  all  of  which  responded  to  his  call  for  aid,  the 
last-named  city  giving  more  than  six  hundred  dollars. 
From  Antwerp  Father  De  Smet  went  to  France  by  way  of 
Lille  and  Arras.  A  gentleman  from  Bruges  traveling  in  the 
same  carriage  with  him  offered  to  pay  the  expenses  of  his 
journey  if  he  would  go  as  far  as  Paris.  The  good  priest 
did  not  accept  the  offer,  however,  as  his  desire  to  be  with 
his  family  outweighed  the  attractions  of  the  great  capital. 
His  longing  to  see  Amiens  did,  nevertheless,  cause  him  to 
visit  that  place  and  call  at  the  college  of  St.  Acheul,  the 
institution  which  the  Jesuits  were  forced  to  leave  after  the 
Ordinance  of  1828.  There  again  he  came  across  an  oppor- 
tunity to  acquire  something  valuable  for  the  St.  Louis 
College;  "I  have  bought,"  he  writes,  "a  complete  physical 
science  cabinet,  including  a  collection  of  minerals,  for 
3,500  francs  [$700],  the  original  price  of  which  was  more 
than  15,000  francs  [$3,000]." 22 

His  return  to  Belgium  was  by  way  of  Courtrai,  and  the 

21  To  Francis  De  Smet,  Brussels,  March  31,  1834. 

It  is  probable  that  these  books  came  from  the  convent  of  the  Augustinians 
at  Enghien. 

22  Amiens,  May  22d. 


SOJOURN  IN  EUROPE  67 

hot  weather  and  the  long  journey  exhausted  his  strength. 
He  was  taken  with  a  fever  and,  upon  the  advice  of  the 
Provincial,  wrote  to  Father  De  Theux  for  permission  to 
remain  some  time  longer  with  his  family.  Rest  with 
him  did  not  mean  idleness.  He  exchanged  many  letters 
with  Father  Van  Lil  relative  to  putting  the  missions  under 
the  direction  of  the  Belgian  Province.  "It  is,"  he  says, 
"the  consensus  of  opinion,  among  those  familiar  with  the 
situation,  that  this  is  the  most  certain  way  to  assure  the 
future  of  the  mission."  This  idea,  however,  was  carried 
out  only  after  a  fashion.  The  Belgian  Province,  which 
counted  only  one  hundred  and  fifty  religious,  was  barely 
able  to  support  itself,  and  the  mission  was  to  continue 
under  the  direction  of  the  General,  the  Belgians  being 
pledged,  as  it  were,  to  assist  with  money,  and  to  send  to 
St.  Louis  any  young  men  who  manifested  a  desire  to  go  to 
foreign  missions. 

Summer,  meanwhile,  was  drawing  to  a  close.  Father 
De  Smet's  health  was  not  yet  reestablished,  and  Father 
Van  Lil  insisted  that  he  remain  longer,  but  the  missionary, 
in  his  desire  to  take  up  his  labors  in  America,  disregarded 
these  considerations  and  decided  to  start.  His  party  was 
made  up  of  the  five  young  men  promised  by  Mr.  De  Nef, 
among  whom  were  Peter  Verheyden  of  Termonde  and 
Charles  Huet  of  Courtrai,  his  future  companions  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  The  latter  part  of  October  saw  them 
on  the  way  to  Antwerp  to  make  preparations  for  the 
voyage.  Their  baggage  numbered  some  fifty  boxes  and 
chests,  the  contents  of  which  included  sacred  vessels, 
vestments,  pictures,  books,  and  instruments  of  physical 
science.  In  addition  to  these  effects  Father  De  Smet 
carried  $8,000  in  money,  a  fair  return  for  his  ten  months 
of  labor  in  Belgium. 

His  family  expected  he  would  come  back  to  Termonde  to 
say  farewell,  but  this  hope  was  dispelled  by  the  following 
lines:  "Dear  brothers  and  sisters,  contrary  to  my  wishes, 
you  have  been  informed  that  the  end  of  my  stay  is  at  hand. 
Please  forgive  me  for  not  telling  you  myself.  As  to  re- 
turning to  Termonde,  it  is  quite  impossible;  time  is  want- 
ing. You  must  pray  for  me  during  the  voyage  and  I  will 
write  at  once  upon  my  arrival.     A  thousand  kisses  to 


68       THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

little  Charlie.23  Take  good  care  of  him:  he  will  be  the 
pride  of  the  family.  Have  courage — as  for  me,  I  will  not 
fail."24 

Whatever  regrets  this  hurried  departure  may  have  en- 
gendered, we  are  of  the  opinion  that,  in  his  heart,  Father 
De  Smet  was  relieved  at  being  spared  a  painful  leave- 
taking. 

The  brig  Agenoria  sailed  from  Antwerp  November  ist, 
with  the  missionaries  on  board.  "We  embarked,"  they 
wrote,  "under  the  protection  of  the  heavenly  court  and  the 
special  auspices  of  the  Mother  of  God.  Under  her  safe 
guidance  neither  wind  nor  waves  can  affright  us"25 — an 
assurance  of  protection  of  which  they  were  to  stand  in 
need  to  brave  the  trials  that  awaited  them. 

Six  days  later,  while  waiting  at  Deal  on  the  English 
coast,  Father  De  Smet  wrote  his  family  the  following 
letter:  "I  must  make  an  effort  to  send  you  a  line  to  tell 
you  of  the  dreadful  situation  I  am  in.  You  know  already 
that  we  sailed  on  the  feast  of  All  Saints  and  several  days 
later  left  Flushing  in  our  wake.  The  North  Sea  was  very 
stormy,  and  for  three  days  we  were  in  great  danger. 
Thank  God  the  brig  did  not  perish,  but  the  rolling  and 
tossing  occasioned  me  such  seasickness  that  my  com- 
panions asked  the  captain  to  put  me  ashore  at  Deal.  I 
am  in  bed,  attended  by  two  physicians,  who  leave  me 
neither  night  nor  day.  They  give  me  hope  that  the 
rupture  caused  by  retching  can  be  cured,  but  only  at  the 
price  of  great  care.  My  other  malady,26  on  account  of 
which  Father  Van  Lil  counseled  me  to  remain  in  Belgium, 
has  been  greatly  aggravated  by  over-excitement  and  in- 
flammation. 

"The  captain  put  in  here  for  two  days  to  await  an  im- 
provement in  my  condition,  but,  hearing  from  the  physi- 
cians that  I  would  not  be  able  to  travel  for  a  fortnight, 
or  perhaps  a  month,  he  squared  away  this  morning,  and 

23  Charles  De  Smet,  then  four  years  of  age,  son  of  Francis  De  Smet,  and 
nephew  of  the  missionary. 

24  Antwerp,  Oct.  30,  1834. 

25  To  Mr.  De  Nef,  from  the  harbor  of  Flushing,  Nov.  3,  1834. 

26  This  was  a  sort  of  eczema  from  which  Father  De  Smet  had  long  been  a 
sufferer,  and  it  never  entirely  left  him. 


SOJOURN  IN  EUROPE  69 

to  my  great  regret  left  me  separated  from  my  companions. 
If  I  continue  to  improve  I  shall  continue  on  my  journey, 
sailing  from  Liverpool.  Should  the  physicians,  however, 
advise  against  it,  I  will  be  with  you  again  in  a  month 
from  now.  This  delay  is  an  overwhelming  disappoint- 
ment, but  I  resign  myself  to  it,  for  God  has  His  own  designs 
in  all  that  happens.  Do  not  be  uneasy  about  me.  God 
will  not  abandon  me.  Three  days  ago  I  despaired  of 
being  able  to  stand  on  my  feet,  and  I  have  not  yet  done 
so,  it  is  true,  for  I  still  have  to  be  carried,  but  the  hope  of 
doing  this  has  sprung  up  anew.  I  should  like  to  write 
you  at  length,  but  I  am  not  able  to  do  more  now.  To- 
morrow I  will  try  again.     Good-by."27 

The  other  missionaries  continued  their  voyage  under  the 
guidance  of  Peter  Verheyden.  Adverse  winds  detained  the 
vessel  a  month  off  the  coast  of  Newfoundland,  and  they 
did  not  reach  New  York  until  December  23  d,  fifty  days 
after  their  departure  from  Belgium. 

As  soon  as  his  condition  permitted,  Father  De  Smet 
had  himself  removed  to  a  neighboring  village,  one  near 
Deal,  where  living  was  much  less  expensive.  "Thank 
God,"  he  wrote,  "I  am  a  little  better.  ...  I  have  had  the 
good  fortune  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  an  excellent  physician. 
I  am  up  now  and  can  walk,  although  with  great  difficulty. " 28 

Three  days  later  he  went  to  London,  where  he  met  the 
Abbe  John  Nerinckx,  a  brother  of  the  missionary.29  ' '  That 
good  priest,"  he  writes,  "procured  me  comfortable  lodgings 

27  Deal,  Nov.  9,  1834. 

The  following  lines  written  by  Peter  Verheyden  give  us  some  idea  of  the 
virtue  of  our  missionary: 

"I  proposed  to  Father  De  Smet  that  I  remain  and  nurse  him.  He  thanked 
me,  saying  that  his  sorrow  would  be  insupportable  if  through  any  fault 
of  his  our  enterprise  came  to  naught.  He  frequently  asked  us  if  we  were 
discouraged  by  this  trial,  and  if  we  would  persevere  in  our  holy  vocation. 
We  assured  him  of  our  ardent  desire  to  work  for  the  glory  of  God  in  the  land 
where  he  had  labored  with  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  and  which  he  longed  so  to 
see  again.  This  seemed  to  calm  and  reassure  him.  I  wrote  to  the  Provincial 
in  Belgium  to  tell  him  of  our  affliction  and  our  difficulties.  Father  De  Smet 
found  two  expressions  in  my  letter  which  offended  his  humility,  and  he 
wished  me  to  change  them,  but  I  must  admit  that  I  did  not  yield  to  his 
importunities."  (Extract  from  a  letter  of  Peter  Verheyden  to  his  family, 
New  York,  Dec.  26,  1834.) 

28  To  Charles  De  Smet,  Nov.  11,  1834. 

29  The  Abb<§  John  Nerinckx  had  succeeded  the  Abbe"  Carron,  in  181 5, 
as  director  of  Catholic  Works  at  Somerstown. 


7o      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

and  a  good  doctor.  He  rarely  leaves  me.  The  doctor 
says  I  must  abandon  all  idea  of  returning  to  America; 
that  it  is  a  question  of  life  and  death.  I  am  on  a  strict 
diet,  and  he  promises  me  that  in  eight  or  ten  days  I  shall 
be  well  enough  to  journey  to  Belgium. 

"My  physical  pains  are  equaled  only  by  my  mental 
worries.  From  the  time  I  became  unable  to  walk  until  I 
met  Father  Nerinckx  I  was  in  a  condition  of  depression 
and  complete  discouragement.  That  kind  old  man,  by 
his  untiring  care  and  goodness,  has  cheered  and  consoled 
me  and  I  shall  never  forget  him."30 

Father  De  Smet,  with  the  return  of  his  strength,  began 
to  fret  at  his  detention  in  Europe:  "Did  the  doctor  and 
our  Fathers  in  London  with  whom  I  stayed  not  forbid  it, 
and  were  my  life  not  in  danger,  I  would  go  to  Liverpool 
and  endeavor  to  join  my  companions  in  America.  I  have 
done  nothing  but  think  of  them  and  sigh  for  them  since  I 
was  taken  ill."31 

At  last,  on  November  24th,  he  was  permitted  to  set  out 
for  Belgium.  He  could  not  leave  London,  however,  with- 
out purchasing  presents  for  "his  little  friends,"  as  he 
called  his  nieces  and  nephews;  "I  have  bought  something 
for  Sylvia  and  Elmira32  that  will  amuse  them.  I  am  not 
going  to  tell  you  now  what  it  is,  as  I  wish  the  gift  to  be  a 
surprise,  but  it  is  something  beautiful  that  will  give  them 
pleasure.  I  have  seen  many  things  that  would  delight 
little  Charles,  but  they  are  too  cumbersome  to  carry  with 
me.  It  will  cheer  me  if  I  can  leave  to-morrow.  I  would 
like  so  much  to  bring  him  a  magic  lantern."33 

Thus  the  invalid  forgot  his  sufferings  in  thinking  of  the 
happiness  of  others.  His  simple  and  upright  soul  felt 
greatly  drawn  to  children.  At  Florissant  he  consecrated 
to  them  the  first  labors  of  his  apostolate,  and  to  the  end  of 
his  life  children  brightened  and  solaced  the  fatigues  of  his 
missionary  labors. 

Upon  his  return  to  Belgium  Father  De  Smet  was  con- 
demned to  a  long  convalescence.     The  physician  gave  him 

30  To  Francis  De  Smet,  from  London,  Nov.  14,  1834. 

31  To  Charles  De  Smet,  from  London,  Nov.  23,  1834. 

32  Daughters  of  Charles  De  Smet. 

33  To  Charles  De  Smet,  from  London,  Nov.  24,  1834. 


SOJOURN  IN  EUROPE  71 

no  hope  of  being  able  to  return  to  America,  and  the  idea 
of  becoming  a  charge  upon  the  Society  rankled  within  him. 
While  in  London  he  had  thought  of  becoming  a  secular 
priest  in  the  diocese  of  Ghent,  and  he  had  even  approached 
his  Superior  concerning  the  matter. 

Would  it  not  have  been  better  to  ask  to  be  received  into 
the  Belgian  community  and  remain  in  the  Society?  As- 
suredly he  would  have  been  well  received,  but  Father  De 
Smet  was  a  born  missionary,  and  his  training  in  Missouri 
had  ill-prepared  him  for  the  ministry  of  parochial  teaching 
and  preaching.  Prematurely  aged  by  illness,  and  feeling 
that  at  thirty-four  years  his  career  had  been  blighted,  our 
missionary  succumbed  to  utter  discouragement. 

On  May  8,  1835,  permission  was  granted  to  Father  De 
Smet  to  sever  his  connection  with  the  Society  of  Jesus,34 
and  also  immediately  afterward  he  abandoned  the  idea  of 
becoming  a  secular  priest  at  Ghent.  Although  his  health 
debarred  him  from  undertaking  regular  work,  Father 
De  Smet  had  no  wish  to  remain  idle,  and  so  offered  his 
services  to  the  Orphanage,  and  to  the  Carmelites  of  Ter- 
monde,  as  well. 

The  religious  in  charge  of  the  Orphanage,  knowing 
Father  De  Smet  to  be  an  experienced  administrator,  ac- 
cepted gladly  the  offer  of  his  services,  confiding  to  him 
their  books  and  the  management  of  their  business  affairs. 
That  he  faithfully  and  conscientiously  discharged  this 
duty  for  nearly  two  years  is  fully  attested  by  the  books  of 
the  community. 

To  the  daughters  of  St.  Teresa,  Father  De  Smet  ren- 
dered still  greater  services.  The  Bishop  of  Ghent  appointed 
him  spiritual  director  of  the  Carmelites,  with  faculties  for 
preaching  and  hearing  confession.  For  some  time  past, 
these  nuns,  with  the  approval  of  their  Mother  Provincial, 
had  been  nurturing  the  idea  of  restoring  the  ancient 
Carmel  of  Alost  which  had  been  suppressed  in  the  time  of 
Joseph  II.  The  Prioress  opened  the  question  with  Father 
De  Smet,  and  he  gave  his  approval  to  the  project  and 
promised  his  assistance. 

34  The  archives  of  the  Society  show  "ill -health"  as  the  sole  reason  for 
his  withdrawal:  Petrus  De  Smet,  scholasticus  sacerdos,  dimissus  8  maii, 
*835>  Gandavi,  ob  valetudinem.    Postea  reassumptus. 


72      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Father  De  Smet,  accompanied  by  another  Jesuit,  Father 
Peter  De  Vos,  went  to  Alost  to  look  about  for  a  building  for 
the  Order.  The  old  convent  of  the  Annonciades,  although 
mutilated  by  numerous  changes,  could  be  utilized  to 
shelter  the  community  in  the  event  that  nothing  better 
was  to  be  had,  and  it  was  accordingly  bought.  Hearing 
that  the  Poor  Clares  intended  to  establish  themselves  in 
the  same  city,  the  Carmelites  wished  immediate  possession 
of  the  property,  but  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  principal 
part  of  the  building  was  under  rental  to  a  schoolmaster 
i  they  could  not  move  in  until  the  incumbent  had  made  due 
provision  to  house  his  own  institution  elsewhere.  Father 
De  Smet,  in  the  mean  time,  through  the  good  offices  of  some 
charitably  inclined  person,  secured  an  apartment  contain- 
ing a  kitchen  and  two  rooms.  One  of  the  rooms  served 
as  a  chapel  and  the  other  as  a  dormitory — a  very  hum- 
ble beginning,  but  one  in  keeping  with  St.  Teresa's  first 
foundations. 

The  Carmelites  arrived  in  Alost,  August  i,  1836.  We 
read  in  the  accounts  of  the  foundation  that  "they  were 
accompanied  by  Father  De  Smet,  the  chosen  instrument 
of  God  for  the  negotiation  of  the  affair."35  Poverty  dogged 
the  early  footsteps  of  this  enterprise.  No  furnishings  for 
the  building  were  to  be  had,  and  often  no  bread.  Father 
De  Smet,  aided  by  the  Jesuits,  succeeded  finally  in  interest- 
ing the  people  of  Alost  in  the  new  community.  "These 
are  angels  you  have  in  your  midst,"  he  said  to  them, 
and  from  that  time  on  the  nuns  were  recipients  of  kind- 
ness and  generosity  that  endured  for  more  than  sixty 
years.36 

Missouri  and  the  mission  enterprises  were,  however,  a 
perennial  theme  in  the  mind  of  Father  De  Smet.  Aided 
by  Mr.  De  Nef,  he  organized  in  Belgium  an  aid-association 
for  the  furtherance  of  the  Indian  Missions,  and  on  Septem- 
ber 23,  1835,  he  accompanied  to  Antwerp  seven  missiona- 
ries bound  for  America.  In  the  hope  of  further  cultivating 
missionary  vocations,  our  good  priest  began  a  correspond- 
ence with  the  Superiors   of  the  Holland   seminaries  in 

33  Archives  of  the  Carmelites  of  Alost. 

36  Cf.  De  Potter  and  Broeckaert,  "  Geschiedenis  der  stad  Aalst,"  Vol. 
iii,  p.  376. 


SOJOURN  IN  EUROPE  73 

Bois-le-Duc  and  in  Breda,  and  assisted  Father  Van  Lil  in 
preparing  some  young  men  who  were  to  leave  in  1836. 

Father  De  Smet's  former  fellow-missionaries,  knowing 
the  circumstances  that  compelled  him  to  remain  in  Bel- 
gium, continued  to  consider  him  as  one  of  themselves, 
especially  so  in  view  of  the  fact  that  he  acted  as  inter- 
mediary between  the  missionaries  and  their  benefactors.37 
Had  the  Fathers  in  St.  Louis  an  affair  to  transact  or  a 
package  to  send,  it  was  through  Father  De  Smet  that  they 
communicated  with  the  Belgian  Jesuits.38  Father  Ver- 
haegen,  who  succeeded  Father  De  Theux  as  Superior  of  the 
missions,  likewise  counted  upon  Father  De  Smet  to  bring 
about  the  much-desired  union  of  Missouri  with  the  Belgian 
Province.39 

The  missionaries  longed  for  Father  De  Smet's  return40 
and  he  himself  felt  that  he  must  go  back  to  them.41  Grad- 
ually his  health  returned.  Being  spiritual  director  of  a 
community  and  only  of  indirect  assistance  to  the  missions, 
constituted  a  career  that  could  not  for  long  satisfy  his 
active  and  energetic  nature.  He  reproached  himself, 
moreover,  for  having  left  the  Society,  considering  it  an  act 
of  weakness,  nay,  almost  a  fault.  "I  could  not,"  he 
writes,  "find  peace  and  interior  satisfaction  save  in  fulfill- 
ing my  duty."42     And  now  was  it  not  his  duty  to  return 

37  On  Jan.  7,  1836,  Father  De  Theux  wrote  to  Mr.  De  Nef:  "You 
see  by  Father  Verheyden's  letter  to  Father  De  Smet  that  I  begged  him  to 
tell  you  all  about  us  and  our  doings." 

38  "  Not  long  ago  we  sent  Father  De  Smet  a  box  containing  petrified  wood, 
stalactites,  crystals,  fossils,  and  shells.  I  hope  our  Fathers  have  received 
their  share.  If,  in  return,  they  could  send  us  some  Belgian  and  Swiss  curios, 
etc.,  we  would  be  most  thankful."  (Letter  of  Father  Helias  d'Huddeghem 
to  his  family,  St.  Louis,  Dec.  3,  1835.)    ■ 

39  "I  trust  you  will  do  all  in  your  power  to  further  the  success  of  the 
affairs  I  have  confided  to  kind  Father  De  Smet.  It  means  in  many  ways 
the  happiness  of  those  who  labor  here  in  the  Lord's  vineyard."  (Letter  of 
Father  Verhaegen  to  Mr.  De  Nef,  St.  Louis,  July  10,  1837.) 

40  "Ex  litter  is  recenter  Roma  acceptis,  magno  gaudio  intelleximus  apud  vos 
novam  pro  nobis  parari  expeditionem.  Illius  ducem  futurum  P.  De  Smet 
exixe  speramus."  (Letter  of  Father  Verhaegen  to  Mr.  De  Nef,  St.  Louis, 
Sept.  17,  1836.) 

41  ' '  During  the  years  that  Father  De  Smet  directed  our  community,  he 
often  asked  us  to  pray  that  God  would  restore  his  health  and  permit  him 
to  return  to  the  Indians."  (Letter  of  Rev.  Mother  Marie  Gonzaga,  Prioress 
of  the  Carmelites  of  Termonde,  to  Father  Deynoodt,  April  3,  1878.) 

42  To  Francis  De  Smet,  New  York,  Dec.  26,  1837. 

6 


74      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

to  Missouri,  beg  to  be  readmitted  to  the  Society  of  Jesus, 
and  to  take  up  once  more  his  chosen  labors?  It  was  not 
possible  to  join  the  missionaries  who  left  Belgium  in  the 
autumn  of  1836.  His  weak  condition  obliged  him  to 
defer  his  departure  to  the  following  year. 

Mistrusting  his  strength  to  resist  the  tears  and  supplica- 
tions of  his  family,  Father  De  Smet  again  concealed  from 
them  his  intention  to  return  to  America.  He  left  Ter- 
monde  in  September,  1837,  and  with  four  missionaries 
remained  some  time  in  Paris  before  embarking  from  Havre. 
Again  he  suffered  a  relapse,  which  once  more  put  to  the 
test  his  fortitude  and  determination  to  return  to  the 
missions. 

Hardly  had  the  missionaries  arrived  in  Paris  when  he 
was  taken  down  with  a  violent  fever,  which  for  eight  days 
kept  him  in  a  very  precarious  condition.  "The  eve  of 
our  departure  for  Havre,"  writes  Arnold  Damen,  one  of 
Father  De  Smet's  companions,  "he  was  desperately  ill. 
Two  physicians  of  note  declared  that  if  he  sailed  he  would 
not  live  three  days.  It  was  an  agonizing  decision;  both 
for  us  who  saw  ourselves  forced  to  make  a  journey  of  six 
thousand  miles  alone,  and  for  the  good  Father,  consumed 
with  a  desire  to  return  to  America.  A  second  time  the 
Provincial  consulted  the  doctors:  again  their  verdict  was 
against  his  departure.  Finally  they  agreed  that  he  might 
accompany  us  as  far  as  Havre.  The  poor  invalid  made 
that  journey  with  us,  lamenting  all  the  time  that  he  could 
not  join  his  mission  and  at  last  coming  to  a  decision  to 
return  to  Belgium. 

"Then  an  inspiration  came  to  us  to  storm  heaven,  and 
implore  the  intercession  of  St.  Philomena.  Father  De 
Smet  and  Father  Gleizal,  a  French  priest  who  accompanied 
us,  said  three  Masses  for  this  intention ;  the  others  received 
holy  communion.  The  Fathers  promised  nine  Masses 
and  we  a  novena  if  the  saint  obtained  for  our  invalid  the 
strength  to  make  the  crossing. 

"The  day  of  departure  arrived,  and  found  us  without 
hope.  Father  De  Smet  accompanied  us  to  the  boat,  said 
good-by,  and  returned  to  the  city.  We  sailed  out  of  the 
harbor,  and  were  already  at  sea  when  we  saw  a  little 
skiff  making  for  our  ship.     It  was  Father  De  Smet  coming 


SOJOURN  IN  EUROPE  75 

to  join  us!  Transports  of  joy  dispelled  our  fears  and 
anxieties.  He  alone  remained  calm — his  faith  had  been 
rewarded.  The  seasickness  from  which  Father  De  Smet 
suffered  during  the  voyage  was  as  nothing  compared  to  his 
previous  sufferings . " 43 

When  about  to  leave  Europe,  Father  De  Smet  announced 
his  departure  to  his  family:  "I  am  sending  you  a  hurried 
line,  for  I  have  only  a  moment.  .  .  .  After  long  and  mature 
reflection  I  have  decided  to  make  a  second  trip  to  Mis- 
souri. I  hope  to  hear  from  you  often,  and  I  promise  to 
give  you  news  of  myself.  ...  A  thousand  embraces  for  my 
little  Charles.  I  take  him  with  me  in  my  heart.  Good-by 
for  two  or  three  years."44 

Having  sailed  from  Havre  September  26th,  the  mis- 
sionaries landed  in  New  York  just  a  month  later  to  the 
day,  and  an  overland  journey  of  three  weeks  more  found 
them  in  St.  Louis.  They  were  welcomed  in  a  manner  that 
compensated  for  the  fatigues  and  trials  which  they  had 
lately  undergone.  The  unmistakable  evidences  of  joy 
occasioned  by  his  return  manifested  to  Father  De  Smet  how 
greatly  he  had  been  missed. 

Three  days  later  the  new  arrivals  went  to  St.  Stanislaus' 
novitiate,  near  Florissant.  Father  Verhaegen,  Superior 
of  the  mission  at  the  time,  was  also  Master  of  Novices, 
and  on  November  29th  he  readmitted  Father  De  Smet 
into  the  Society  of  Jesus. 

In  the  happiness  that  was  now  his  by  virtue  of  possessing 
that  which  he  had  sought  at  the  price  of  many  trials  and 
much  suffering,  he  wished  to  console  his  family  by  explain- 
ing his  departure:  "I  hope  that  the  sorrow  and  vexation 
my  hasty  departure  occasioned  you  has  been  entirely  for- 
gotten, and  that  you  will  not  reproach  me  for  concealing 
it  from  you.  I  had  not  the  courage  to  say  good-by. 
Whenever  I  found  myself  in  your  midst,  I  wavered  in  my 
resolutions  and  my  duty  to  God.  The  sight  of  your  chil- 
dren, of  Charles,  Sylvia,  Elmira,  and  the  little  Rosalie 
tore  my  heart,  and  I  rebelled  at  the  thought  that  I  was 
about  to  leave  these  dear  creatures.     But  God  willed  it: 

43  Account  of  the  voyage  sent  to   Mr.   De   Nef,   Florissant,   Dec.  28, 

1837- 

44  To  Francis  De  Smet,  Havre,  Sept.  25,  1837. 


76      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.  J. 

we  must  submit.  He  will  recompense  us  for  the  sacrifices 
we  make  for  love  of  Him.  I  am  waiting  impatiently  for 
news  from  you,  and  trust  you  will  not  disappoint  me. 
You  have  given  me  too  many  proofs  of  your  affection 
for  me  ever  to  doubt  it  and  I  hope  you  will  keep  me  always 
in  your  heart."45 

45  St.  vStanislaus,  Dec.  26,  1837. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   POTAWATOMI    MISSION    (1838-1839) 

Progress  Made  by  the  Jesuits  in  Missouri — Father  Van  Quickenborne's 
Apostolate  to  the  Indians — His  Death — Fathers  De  Smet  and  Verreydt 
are  Sent  to  Open  a  Mission  for  the  Potawatomies  at  Council  Bluffs — 
First  Journey  on  the  Missouri — A  Dinner  at  the  Otoes — The  Disposi- 
tion of  the  Indians — Their  Conversion  will  be  "a  Work  of  God" — 
The  Missionaries'  First  Successes — Loneliness  and  Privations — Father 
De  Smet  Effects  a  Reconciliation  between  the  Sioux  and  the  Pota- 
watomies— Whiskey — "What  Could  One  Do  with  Two  Thousand 
Drunken  Indians?" — Father  De  Smet's  Journey  to  St.  Louis — He  is 
Replaced  at  Council  Bluffs  by  Father  Christian  Hoecken. 

FATHER  DE  SMET,  upon  his  return  to  Missouri, 
was  amazed  at  the  improvements  and  the  progress 
that  had  been  made  during  his  absence.  In  four  years 
the  population  of  St.  Louis  had  increased  from  7,000  to 
15,000  inhabitants.  The  success  of  the  University  was 
assured.  Father  Elet,  through  his  wise  and  intelligent  di- 
rection, aided  by  Father  Van  de  Velde's  renowned  classes, 
attracted  numerous  pupils  to  the  University,  many  of 
them  from  Louisiana.  A  library  containing  several 
thousand  volumes,  a  complete  physical  -  science  cabinet, 
and  a  chemical  laboratory  facilitated  the  work  of  the 
preachers  and  professors. 

Although  Florissant  and  St.  Charles  were  still  in  dire 
need,  their  hardships  had  been  somewhat  ameliorated  by 
the  Belgian  contributions.  The  novitiate  had  been  en- 
larged by  connecting  the  Indian  college  with  the  main 
building.  The  churches,  now  vastly  improved  in  con- 
struction and  decoration,  gave  a  better  impression  of  the 
Catholic  religion.  Copies  of  Flemish  masters  covered  the 
bare  walls,  and  spoke  to  the  missionaries  of  their  far-off 
land,  recalling  to  the  faithful  the  touching  mysteries  of 
the  lives  of  our  blessed  Lord  and  His  holy  Mother. 

With  regard  to  the  Indians,  the  results  that  had  been 


78      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.  J. 

obtained  were  satisfactory  and  consoling.  The  appeal 
of  the  American  Bishops,  to  confide  the  Indian  Missions 
to  the  Jesuits,  had  been  granted  by  Rome,  and  the  Fathers 
of  the  Missouri  Province  would  now  be  the  first  to  prove 
themselves  worthy  of  the  confidence  of  the  heads  of  the 
Church.  Congress  had  just  set  apart  a  territory  on  the 
banks  of  the  Arkansas  exclusively  for  the  Indians,  where 
native  tribes  scattered  throughout  the  United  States 
would  be  united  under  Government  supervision,  and  upon 
this  there  followed  a  series  of  willing  or  forced  migrations, 
assembling  to  the  west  of  Missouri  nearly  200,000  Indians. 

It  was  to  these  tribes  that  Father  Van  Quickenborne 
consecrated  his  labors  and  remaining  strength.  Having 
been  relieved  of  his  post  of  authority  at  Florissant,  he 
was  free  at  last  to  devote  himself  to  a  work  that  had  been 
the  dream  of  his  life,  and  for  the  past  six  years  he  had 
labored  for  the  conversion  of  the  Indians  with  all  the 
energy  of  his  ardent  nature.  To  reach  the  wandering 
tribes  that  were  often  at  war  with  each  other,  this  intrepid 
missionary  endured  unspeakable  fatigues  and  faced  in- 
numerable dangers.  More  than  once  he  owed  his  life  to 
the  direct  intervention  of  Providence.1 

After  making  many  conversions  among  the  Osages  and 
the  Iowas,  Father  Van  Quickenborne  went  in  1836  to  the 
Kickapoos,  inhabiting  that  part  of  Northern  Kansas 
situated  upon  the  right  bank  of  the  Missouri.  Father 
Christian  Hoecken,  a  Hollander,  and  three  lay  Brothers, 

1  The  Woodstock  Letters,  Vol.  xxiv,  p.  37;  Vol.  xxv,  p.  357. 

"In  the  first  excursions  made  by  Fathers  Van  Quickenborne  and  Christian 
Hoecken,  they  were  often  lost  for  days  at  a  time,  and  would  traverse  the 
immense  prairies  in  every  direction  in  a  vain  endeavor  to  discover  their  where- 
abouts. These  plains  resembled  a  vast  sea;  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  one 
beheld  nothing  but  a  limitless  sketch  of  green  pasture  and  blue  sky:  deer, 
chamois,  and  roebuck  were  plentiful;  prairie-chicken  and  other  wild  game 
abounded.  Wolves  and  bears  creeping  from  their  lairs  to  eat  sheep  terrified 
both  man  and  beast.  But  even  in  such  straits  they  were  not  abandoned 
by  divine  Providence.  At  nightfall  the  Fathers  would  often  throw  the  reins 
on  the  horse's  neck,  letting  him  take  his  own  direction,  and  before  long 
would  find  themselves  in  sight  of  some  habitation.  Once  an  immense  and 
strange  dog  sprang  in  front  of  their  horses,  and,  making  a  path  through  the 
high  grass,  brought  them  to  the  home  of  a  Catholic,  where  they  rested  and 
were  refreshed,  and,  to  their  great  consolation  and  that  of  their  host,  they 
celebrated  the  Divine  Mysteries."  (Letter  of  Father  Helias  d'Huddeghem 
to  his  family,  St.  Louis,  Dec.  17,  1836.) 


THE  POTAWATOMI  MISSION  79 

accompanied  him.  In  a  few  months  he  established  there  a 
flourishing  mission  and  was  about  to  go  to  the  neighboring 
tribes,  when  physical  exhaustion  obliged  him  to  abandon 
his  work.  He  retired  to  Portage  des  Sioux  near  Florissant. 
As  the  pastor  of  a  small  Christian  community,  he  hoped 
(with  the  help  of  a  lay  Brother)  to  be  able  to  rest  and  regain 
his  strength.  "But,"  says  Father  De  Smet,  "who  could 
restrain  his  ardent  zeal?"  He  began  at  once  to  make 
plans  for  the  erection  of  a  church;  undertook  the  con- 
version of  several  Protestant  families,  and  was  absorbed 
in  his  work  when  he  fell  ill  with  an  attack  of  bilious  fever 
that  carried  him  off  in  a  few  days. 

The  man  of  God  remained  calm  and  resigned  to  the  end. 
He  received  the  Last  Sacraments  with  profound  piety, 
and  fearlessly  saw  his  last  hour  approach.  "Pray  for 
me,"  he  said  to  those  around  him.  These  were  his  last 
words.  He  died  without  a  struggle,  August  17,  183 7, 2 
having  not  yet  attained  his  fiftieth  year.  The  young  re- 
ligious trained  by  Father  Van  Quickenborne  hastened 
to  claim  their  heritage  and  undertake  his  work. 

Father  Verreydt  joined  Father  Hoecken  at  the  Kicka- 
poo  Mission.  These  Indians,  being  unreliable,  rebellious 
against  authority,  and,  moreover,  thieving  and  addicted 
to  drink,  had  disappointed  the  hopes  of  the  missionaries. 
In  1838  they  began  to  leave  Missouri  in  order  to  lead  a 
nomad  life  far  from  Government  supervision.  The  Fa- 
thers, seeing  they  had  very  little  influence  with  this  tribe, 
were  rejoiced  at  receiving  a  delegation  of  Potawatomies 
who  came  to  ask  for  a  Black  Robe  for  their  tribe.  This 
tribe  had  recently  been  brought  from  Michigan  on  the 

2  Selected  Letters,  2d  Series,  p.  183. 

"You  heard  some  months  ago  of  Father  Van  Quickenborne's  death. 
Now  comes  the  news  that  great  favors  have  been  obtained  at  his  tomb. 
A  Sacred  Heart  nun  at  St.  Charles,  a  victim  of  consumption  and  given  up 
by  the  physicians,  went  with  the  other  nuns  and  young  pupils  to  pray  at 
his  grave.  After  praying  fervently  they  returned  in  procession,  reciting 
prayers.  The  nun  (Mme.  Eulalie)  was  instantly  cured,  and  from  that  time 
on  enjoyed  perfect  health. 

"The  undertaker  who  had  charge  of  Father  Van  Quickenborne's  funeral 
told  me,  that  although  the  body  was  kept  three  days  during  the  excessive 
heat  of  summer,  and  was  transported  during  the  day  from  the  parish  of  St. 
Francis  at  Portage  des  Sioux  to  St.  Charles,  there  was  no  unpleasant" 
odor  and  it  appeared  fresher  and  handsomer  than  in  life."  (Letter  of 
Father  H£lias  d'Huddeghem  to  his  family,  St.  Louis,  Dec.  8,  1837.) 


8o      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Missouri,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Nebraska  River.  Their 
camp  was  situated  at  Council  Bluffs,  just  opposite  the 
present  city  of  Omaha.  Father  Verreydt,  accompanied 
by  Brother  Mazelli,  had  previously  visited  the  Pota- 
watomies  in  the  summer  of  1838  with  the  idea  of  establish- 
ing a  mission  among  them.3 

Since  his  return  from  Belgium  Father  De  Smet  occupied 
the  post  of  minister  at  the  Florissant  novitiate.  His 
health  was  now  completely  restored  and  with  it  his  former 
vigor  returned.  The  object  of  his  life  continued  to  be 
the  conversion  of  the  Indians. 

On  January  26,  1838,  he  wrote  to  the  Carmelites  of  Ter- 
monde:  "New  priests  are  to  be  added  to  the  Potawatomi 
Mission,  and  my  Superior,  Father  Verhaegen,  gives  me 
hope  that  I  will  be  sent.  How  happy  I  would  be  could  I 
spend  myself  for  the  salvation  of  so  many  souls,  who  are 
lost  because  they  have  never  known  truth!  My  good 
Sisters,  I  beg  you  to  pray  for  this  intention.  Implore 
the  divine  Pastor  to  deign  to  look  upon  the  most  un- 
worthy of  His  servants,  who  longs  to  work  for  His  glory. 
I  tremble  when  I  think  of  the  great  qualities  an  apostolate 
to  the  Indians  demands.  We  must  make  men  before 
making  Christians,  and  such  work  requires  unlimited 
patience  and  solid  virtue,  and  you  know  what  I  am. 
Nevertheless,  I  am  not  discouraged.  God's  strength  is 
greater  than  my  weakness,  and  He  can  bring  forth  from 
stones  children  of  Abraham."4 

Zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  profound  humility 
(God  could  not  resist  his  supplications)  were  the  dis- 
tinguishing traits  of  our  missionary,  and  a  few  weeks 
later  he  was  appointed  to  the  Potawatomi  Mission.  Father 
De  Smet  left  St.  Louis  May  10th,  Father  Verreydt  and 
Brother  Mazelli  joining  him  at  Leavenworth.  In  going 
up  the  Missouri  he  greatly  admired  the  vast  river,  dotted 

3  Father  Hoecken  remained  some  time  longer,  endeavoring  to  convert 
the  Kickapoos. 

4  If  any  one  fancies  that  Father  De  Smet  exaggerated,  let  him  read  his 
letters  to  Father  De  Theux:  "As  for  myself,  in  my  opinion,  to  come  to 
America  to  teach  in  a  college  or  to  be  a  missionary  to  the  whites,  is  child's 
play  in  comparison  to  the  Indian  Mission.  I  see  so  many  difficulties  in  this 
work  that,  did  I  not  know  that  our  divine  Lord  is  all-powerful,  I  should 
regard  the  enterprise  as  a  great  folly."  (To  Mr.  De  Nef,  St.  Stanislaus, 
July  9,  1835.) 


THE  POTAWATOMI  MISSION  81 

with  its  many  islands;  the  villages  that  rose  one  above 
the  other  on  its  banks,  the  towering  rocks,  the  caves,  the 
forests,  and  the  immense  prairies,  all  of  which  lent  in- 
finite variety  to  the  aspect.  But  the  scenic  beauty  failed 
to  render  agreeable  a  journey  fraught  with  many  dangers. 

' '  I  would  rather  cross  the  ocean, ' '  he  writes, ' '  than  ascend 
the  Missouri  River.  The  current  is  so  swift  that  in  order 
to  get  up  the  river  the  boat  must  be  heavily  loaded  and  the 
steam  at  full  pressure.  Hence,  the  traveler  is  in  imminent 
danger  of  being  shot  up  into  the  air  by  an  explosion,  and 
coming  down  perhaps  in  bits.  Added  to  this,  we  run  upon 
sand-bars  every  day — a  dangerous  proceeding.  Lastly, 
the  river  bristles  with  snags  which  tear  a  boat  open,  and 
are  the  terror  of  pilots  and  travelers.  More  than  once 
we  were  in  great  peril  from  them."5 

Crowds  of  Indians  came  to  the  landing  to  greet  the 
missionaries,  and  wherever  the  boat  stopped  for  fuel  the 
priests  went  ashore  to  visit  the  different  villages.  The 
chief  of  the  Iowas,  an  old  pupil  of  Father  De  Smet's  at 
Florissant,  wished  to  keep  him  with  his  tribe.  An  Indian 
convert,  eighty-four  years  of  age,  prepared  himself  for 
death  by  confession,  shedding,  meanwhile,  tears  of  repent- 
ance.    Everywhere  they  were  most  cordially  received. 

The  visit  to  the  Otoes  enabled  Father  De  Smet  to  initiate 
himself  in  the  ways  of  the  savage.  The  following  lines 
give  us  an  idea  of  his  impressions: 

"The  village  is  composed  of  several  large  mud  huts, 
each  containing  about  ten  families,  and  several  buffalo-hide 
tents  reeking  with  vermin.  The  women  slave  for  the  men, 
and  appear  most  miserable.  Some  are  blind,  others  have 
only  one  eye,  and  all  appear  extremely  dirty.  Their  dress 
consists  of  a  skirt  of  deer-skin  to  the  knee,  with  tunic, 
garters,  and  shoes  of  the  same  hide.  The  whole  costume 
is  greasy  and  black,  as  though  they  had  wiped  their 
hands  on  it  for  a  century.  Both  men  and  women  wear 
bracelets  of  polished  metal,  and  five  or  six  strings  of 
china  or  glass  beads  around  the  neck. 

"I  was  ushered  into  the  large  hut  of  the  chief  or  king. 
The  queen  placed  a  cushion  of  deer-skin  shiny  with  grease 
upon  a  still  greasier  cane  mat,  and  made  me  signs  to  be 

5  To  Francis  De  Smet,  Council  Bluffs,  Sept.  u,  1838. 


82      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

seated.  She  then  presented  me  with  a  roughtly-cut  wooden 
plate  which  I  think  had  not  seen  water  since  it  was  made, 
and  served  me  on  it  a  dish  of  disgusting  appearance,  cooked 
by  herself.  Opposite  me  a  dozen  wolf-dogs,  seated  on  their 
haunches,  eyed  my  plate.  They  seemed  to  envy  me  my 
happiness,  and  showed  willingness  to  aid  me  in  disposing 
of  the  food. 

"I  was  hungry,  I  admit;  but  my  stomach  revolted  at 
the  sight  of  that  mysterious  stew.  I  said  to  myself,  'No 
airs  now,  you  are  not  in  Belgium,  begin  your  apprentice- 
ship. When  in  Rome,  do  as  the  Romans  do.'  I  took  a 
spoonful  of  the  mess  and  found  it  delicious.  It  was  a 
fricassee  of  buffalo  tongue,  mixed  with  bear's  grease  and 
the  flour  of  wild  sweet  potatoes.  I  evinced  my  apprecia- 
tion of  the  princess'  hospitality  by  rubbing  my  stomach 
as  a  sign  of  satisfaction,  and  returned  the  plate  to  her 
much  cleaner  than  when  she  gave  it  to  me."6 

The  missionaries  arrived  at  the  Potawatomi  camp 
May  31st.  Nearly  two  thousand  Indians,  painted  in 
every  conceivable  way,  came  to  the  landing.  Father  De 
Smet  and  his  companions  repaired  at  once  to  the  tent  of 
the  great  chief,  a  half-breed  called  William  Caldwell,  re- 
nowned for  his  prowess  and  his  victories  over  the  whites. 
The  missionaries  were  cordially  received  and  promised 
protection.  The  chief  then  offered  them  three  tents 
near  his.  Colonel  Kearny,  representing  the  Government, 
put  an  abandoned  fort  at  the  disposition  of  the  missionaries. 
There  they  celebrated  Mass  and  assembled  the  neophytes, 
until  a  wooden  church  was  erected  in  honor  of  St.  Joseph, 
patron  of  the  mission.  The  Indians  at  first  received  them 
coldly,7  but  soon  the  missionaries  got  into  touch  with 
them,  and  Father  De  Smet  was  then  able  to  discover 
their  tastes  and  aptitudes,  and  the  needs  of  their  tribe. 

6  To  Father  Verhaegen,  Council  Bluffs,  June,  1838. 

7  "We  were  far  from  finding  here  the  four  or  five  hundred  fervent  Catholics 
they  told  us  about  in  St.  Louis.  Of  the  2,000  Potawatomies  that  came  to 
the  landing  not  one  of  them  seemed  to  know  why  we  had  come,  and  appeared 
quite  indifferent.  Out  of  thirty  half-breed  families,  only  two  came  to  shake 
hands  with  us.  Very  few  had  been  baptized,  and  all  of  them  are  profoundly 
ignorant  of  the  truths  of  our  religion.  They  do  not  even  know  how  to  make 
the  Sign  of  the  Cross,  nor  say  the  Our  Father  and  Hail  Mary,  and  this  ac- 
counts, I  think,  for  the  great  reserve  they  maintained  toward  us."  (Letter  to 
Father  Verhaegen,  June,  1838.) 


THE  POTAWATOMI  MISSION  83 

"Imagine  numerous  huts  or  tents  constructed  of  up- 
right poles  covered  with  tree  bark,  buffalo  hides,  canvas, 
straw,  and  grass;  dreary  of  aspect,  and  pitched  pell- 
mell,  with  no  regard  to  order  or  symmetry,  and  you  have 
some  idea  of  an  Indian  village."8  In  these  holes,  for 
such  they  are,  3,000  savages  lead  a  miserable  existence. 
The  women  do  all  the  rough  work,  while  the  men  pass 
their  time  in  playing  cards  and  smoking  the  calumet; 
their  sole  occupation  being  war  or  hunting. 

"For  the  most  part,  these  Indians  are  content  with  a 
little  dried  beef  and  a  pap  made  of  pounded  roasted  corn. 
They  are  sober,  less  from  virtue  than  necessity.  When 
food  is  plentiful,  either  at  home  or  abroad,  they  plunge 
their  hands  into  the  boiling  pot  and  eat  like  ravenous 
wolves,  and  when  filled,  lie  down  and  sleep.  Their  sole 
possessions  are  a  few  horses  that  graze  at  large  on  waste 
land.  At  his  birth  an  Indian  is  enveloped  in  rags,  and 
during  infancy  left  under  a  buffalo  hide.  He  is  brought 
up  in  idleness,  and  abhors  work.  He  has  no  desire  to 
change  or  ameliorate  his  condition.  Any  Indian  who 
would  aspire  to  a  greater  degree  of  comfort,  or  to  increase 
his  fortune  through  his  own  efforts,  would  be  the  object 
of  general  hatred  and  jealousy.  Moreover,  all  his  posses- 
sions would  be  pillaged  and  confiscated."9 

And  yet  the  Indians  had  redeeming  qualities:  "The 
Potawatomies  are  gentle  and  peaceful.  There  is  neither 
rank  nor  privilege  among  them.  The  chief  has  no  revenue 
save  that  which  he  procures  with  his  lance,  arrow,  and 
rifle.  His  horse  is  his  throne.  He  must  be  braver  than 
his  subjects;  the  first  to  attack,  and  the  last  to  leave  the 
field.  In  the  division  of  spoils,  he  shares  equally  with  the 
others.  The  greater  number  of  the  Indians  can  converse 
intelligently  upon  things  that  concern  them.  They  like  to 
joke  and  listen  to  chaff,  they  never  dispute  or  lose  their 
temper,  and  never  interrupt  any  one.  If  the  affair  under 
discussion  is  serious,  the  Indian  reflects  before  speaking, 
or  defers  his  reply  until  the  next  day.  They  know  no 
blasphemous  words,  and  often  years  pass  without  an  angry 
word   being   spoken.     But   when   drunk — and    now    they 

s  Letter  of  Father  De  Smet  to  the  Father  General,  Dec.  I,  1838. 
9  Letter  of  Father  De  Smet  to  Father  Verhaegen,  June,  1838. 


84      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

get  drink  in  large  quantities — all  the  good  qualities  of  the 
Indian  disappear,  and  he  no  longer  resembles  man;  one 
must  flee  from  him.  Their  cries  and  howls  are  terrible; 
they  fall  upon  each  other,  biting  noses  and  ears,  mutilating 
each  other  in  a  horrible  manner.  Since  our  arrival,  four 
Otoes  and  three  Potawatomies  have  been  killed  in  these 
drunken  orgies."10 

Besides  idleness  and  drunkenness,  the  missionaries  had 
to  combat  prejudice  and  abolish  polygamy  and  supersti- 
tious practices.  They  had  to  master  a  difficult  language 
and  undertake  the  still  more  difficult  task  of  trying  ta 
domesticate  men  accustomed  to  a  wandering  life,  who 
complained  if  obliged  to  stay  three  months  in  the  same 
place. 

Father  De  Smet  said:  "It  is  a  work  of  God,"  and  such 
indeed  it  was.  He  begged  earnestly  the  prayers  of  his 
Superiors  and  friends.  To  the  Carmelites  of  Termonde 
he  wrote:  "Here  I  have  been  for  three  months  in  the 
midst  of  the  Indians.  If  it  is  your  prayers  that  have 
obtained  this  favor  for  me,  I  beg  you  to  ask  that  I  may 
have  courage,  humility,  fervor,  patience,  and  the  other 
virtues  which  make  a  good  missionary."11 

Success  soon  crowned  his  efforts.  Before  the  close  of 
1838  Father  De  Smet  was  able  to  write:  "A  great  number 
of  Indians  have  asked  to  be  instructed.  We  have  opened 
a  school,  but,  for  the  want  of  a  large  hut,  we  can  only 
receive  thirty  children.  Twice  a  day  instructions  are 
given  to  those  preparing  for  baptism.  We  have  already 
administered  the  Sacrament  to  one  hundred  and  eighteen 
Indians;  one  hundred  and  five  of  this  number  I  had  the 
consolation  of  baptizing  myself. 

"The  feast  of  the  Assumption  will  long  be  remembered 
by  the  Potawatomies.  The  church  in  which  Mass  was 
said  was  perhaps  the  poorest  in  the  world.  Twelve 
neophytes,  who  three  months  before  had  no  knowledge 
of  God's  laws,  chanted  the  Mass  in  a  most  edifying  manner. 
Father  Verreydt  preached  upon  devotion  to  the  Blessed 

10  Letter  to  the  Father  General,  Dec.  1,  1838.  (Annals  of  the  Propa- 
gation of  the  Faith,  Vol.  xi,  p.  484.) 

11  Nov.  7,  1838. 


THE  POTAWATOMI  MISSION  85 

Virgin.  I  followed  with  an  instruction  upon  the  neces- 
sity of  baptism.  I  explained  its  ceremonies,  and  then  ad- 
ministered the  Sacrament  to  twenty  adults,  among  whom 
was  the  wife  of  the  great  chief. 

"After  Mass  I  blessed  four  marriages.  In  the  evening 
we  visited  the  newly  -  converted  families,  who  had  all 
assembled  and  were  thanking  God  for  the  graces  received 
during  the  day,  and  now  these  good  people  traverse  the 
country  to  induce  their  friends  and  relatives  to  be  in- 
structed and  share  their  happiness.  Several  Indian 
women,  whose  relatives,  being  still  pagan,  refused  to 
receive  us,  dragged  themselves  a  distance  of  two  or  three 
miles  to  ask  for  baptism  before  dying."12 

The  good  dispositions  evinced  by  the  Indians  encouraged 
Father  De  Smet  to  exert  himself  to  the  utmost  in  their 
behalf.  "Often,"  he  writes,  "I  visited  the  Indians  in  their 
huts  either  as  missionary,  when  they  seemed  disposed 
to  listen  to  me,  or  in  the  capacity  of  a  physician  to  minister 
to  their  sick.  When  I  find  a  child  in  danger  whose  parents 
are  ill-disposed  toward  religion,  I  take  out  my  bottles  and 
recommend  certain  medicines.  I  begin  by  rubbing  the 
child  with  camphor;  then  taking  water,  I  baptize  it  before 
their  unsuspecting  eyes,  and  thus  open  heaven  to  the 
innocent   soul."13 

The  shiftlessness  and  filth  of  the  Indians  often  occasioned 
epidemics;  some  tribes  had  as  many  as  a  thousand  sick, 
and  at  such  times  the  missionaries  were  dreadfully  over- 
worked. Each  day  Father  De  Smet  visited  a  new  village, 
carrying  remedies  and  words  of  encouragement  to  the 
victims  of  the  plague.  His  charity  bore  fruit  in  new 
conversions.  Writing  to  his  brother,  he  says:  "I  have 
baptized  nearly  two  hundred  Indians,  and  we  now  have 
three  hundred  converts.  I  can  truthfully  say  they  are  all 
fervent  Christians.  Their  greatest  happiness  is  to  assist 
at  daily  Mass  and  instruction,  and  receive  holy  com- 
munion. Several  chiefs  and  their  families  have  em- 
braced the  faith.  I  baptized  an  old  man  a  hundred  and 
ten  years  of  age."14 

12  Letter  to  the  Father  General,  Dec.  i,  1838. 

13  Letter  to  the  Mother  Superior  of  the  Orphanage  at  Termonde. 

14  To  Francis  De  Smet,  May  30,  1839. 


86      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Protestant  ministers  tried  to  compete  with  the  Catholic 
priests;  but  between  a  salaried  official  who  distributed 
tracts  to  inquisitive  members  of  the  tribe,  and  the  mis- 
sionary, devoted  body  and  soul  to  their  interests,  the 
Indians  did  not  hesitate  to  make  a  choice.15  They  refused 
the  most  alluring  offers  from  Protestants  and  came  from 
all  directions  to  ask  for  a  Black  Robe  to  show  them  the 
way  to  heaven.16 

One  day  three  chiefs  of  the  Pawnee-Loups  came  to  beg 
the  Jesuits  to  visit  their  tribe.  Noticing  that  the  priests 
made  the  Sign  of  the  Cross  before  eating,  they,  upon 
their  return,  instituted  this  practice  in  all  the  Indian 
villages.  This  delegation  was  followed  by  the  chiefs  of 
the  Omahas,  accompanied  by  forty  warriors,  who,  making 
their  followers  a  sign  to  wait,  approached  the  missionary 
and  executed  the  dance  of  friendship.17 

Father  De  Smet  thanked  God  for  the  success  that 
crowned  his  labors,  and  expressed  his  gratitude  to  his 
Superiors  for  appointing  him  to  this  mission.  "We  suf- 
fer, of  course,  many  privations  in  this  far  distant  country; 
but  God  will  never  be  outdone  in  generosity.  He  rewards  a 
hundredfold  the  smallest  sacrifices  we  make  for  Him,  and 
if  our  trials  are  heavy,  our  consolations  are  very  great.  I 
thank  God  every  day  for  having  sent  me  to  this  country." 1S 

The  little  community  at  Council  Bluffs  suffered  many 
privations.  To  the  fatigues  of  the  ministry  was  added 
the  anxiety  of  providing  for  their  daily  existence.     Brother 

15  "After  five  years'  residence  with  the  Otoes,  the  Protestant  minister 
has  not  yet  baptized  one  person,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  Protestant 
missionaries  who  overrun  the  Indian  Territory  make  no  better  showing." 
(Letter  of  Father  De  Smet  to  Father  Verhaegen,  June,  1838.) 

16  "The  Protestant  ministers  pay  the  chiefs  to  come  and  act  as  interpreters 
in  their  churches.  Some  give  as  much  as  a  hundred  dollars,  four  beeves, 
etc."     (Letter  of  Father  Helias  d'Huddeghem  to  his  family,  June  29,  1837.) 

17  "They  all  manifested  great  affection  for  us,  and  invited  us  to  smoke 
the  pipe  of  peace  with  them.  Pictures  representing  Our  Lord's  passion,  and 
our  explanation  of  the  meaning  of  the  crucifix,  seemed  to  interest  them 
greatly.  They  begged  me  to  go  at  once  to  baptize  their  children,  presenting 
me  at  the  same  time  with  a  beautiful  beaver  skin  for  a  tobacco-pouch.  In 
return,  I  gave  them  rosaries  for  the  children,  and  presented  each  one  of  them 
with  a  copper  crucifix.  They  kissed  the  crucifixes  respectfully,  put  them 
around  their  necks,  and  appeared  most  grateful  for  the  gifts.  When  leav- 
ing, the  Indians  embraced  me  most  cordially."  (Letter  to  the  Father 
General,  Dec.  1,  1838.) 

13  Ibid. 


THE  POTAWATOMI  MISSION  87 

Mazelli,  in  his  capacity  of  physician  and  surgeon,  was  in 
constant  attendance  upon  the  sick.  Fathers  Verreydt  and 
De  Smet  chopped  wood,  cooked  the  meals,  and  mended  their 
clothes.  The  distance  from  St.  Louis,  and  the  difficulty  of 
communication  interfered  greatly  with  obtaining  food-sup- 
plies.    The  mission  was  often  without  the  necessities  of  life. 

In  the  spring  of  1839  their  distress  was  extreme,  their 
whole  nourishment  for  weeks  consisting  of  acorns  and 
wild  roots.  At  last,  on  April  20th,  the  provision-boat  was 
sighted.  Father  De  Smet  hurriedly  departed  with  two 
carts  to  get  the  mission  supply.  A  cruel  disappointment 
awaited  them.  At  the  moment  of  landing,  the  boat, 
striking  a  snag,  was  wrecked.  The  missionary  arrived 
in  time  to  see  it  sink  before  his  eyes.  A  saw,  a  plow,  a 
pair  of  boots,  and  some  wine  were  all  that  was  saved. 
But  even  this  disaster  did  not  disturb  Father  De  Smet's 
habitual  serenity.  "Providence,"  he  said,  "is  still  kind 
to  us.  The  plow  has  enabled  us  to  sow  a  good  crop  of  corn. 
Thanks  to  the  saw,  we  can  now  build  a  better  house  and 
enlarge  our  church,  which  is  too  small;  and  with  the  boots 
I  can  tramp  the  prairies  and  woods  without  fear  of  being 
bitten  by  snakes.  The  wine  permits  us  to  offer  to  God 
the  sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  a  happiness  we  have  long  been 
deprived  of.  We  returned  courageously  to  our  acorns  and 
roots  until  May  30th."19 

Great  as  may  have  been  the  hardships  of  poverty, 
loneliness,  however,  was  still  harder  to  bear.  The  mis- 
sionaries had  news  from  St.  Louis  only  two  or  three  times 
a  year,  and  Father  De  Smet's  sensitive  nature  suffered 
cruelly  from  this  isolation.  On  December  18,  1839,  he 
wrote  to  Father  Peter  De  Vos,  his  friend  of  Alost,  now 
Master  of  Novices  in  Missouri:  "Your  letter  of  last  July 
reached  me  the  beginning  of  the  month.  I  had  begun  to 
fear  that  you  also  had  put  off  your  reply  to  the  Greek 
Calendar.  Can  you  believe  it?  although  I  have  written 
numerous  letters  since  June  to  our  Fathers  and  brothers 
who  are  so  dear  to  me,  in  reply,  I  have  had,  not  counting 
your  letter,  exactly  five  lines.  Would  that  I  could  hold 
the  post  responsible  for  this! 

"We  who  are  at  the  end  of  the  world,  far  from  friends 

19  To  Francis  De  Smet,  July  30,  1839. 


88       THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

and  fellow-priests,  in  the  midst  of  strangers  and  infidels, 
suffering  privations,  and  daily  witnessing  revolting  scenes, 
look  forward  to  letters  as  a  real  treat.  If  you  only  knew 
the  joy  they  bring,  I  am  sure  every  one  of  you  would  give 
us  this  consolation  and  support,  for  after  reading  our  let- 
ters we  are  fired  with  renewed  zeal." 

With  equal  joy  did  our  missionary  receive  news  of  his 
relatives  and  friends  in  Belgium.  "Your  long  and  de- 
lightful letter,"  he  writes  to  his  brother,  "enclosing  a 
little  one  from  my  friend  Charles,  reached  me  the  beginning 
of  June.  It  gave  me  such  pleasure,  that  I  read  it  over 
several  times,  not  wishing  to  lose  a  word."20 

To  induce  his  family  to  write  often,  he  continually  gave 
them  details  of  his  life  at  Council  Bluffs,  recounting  the 
habits  and  customs  of  the  Indians,  and  the  progress  the 
mission  had  made.  His  open  and  cheerful  letters  betray  not 
only  his  strength  of  soul,  but  his  unalterable  attachment 
to  his  family.  "When  I  think  of  what  my  life  was  with 
you  during  four  years,  I  often  smile  at  my  present  condi- 
tion. My  only  shelter  is  a  little  hut  fourteen  feet  square, 
constructed  of  trunks  of  fallen  trees  covered  with  a  rough 
shingle  roof  that  protects  me  from  neither  snow  nor  rain. 
The  other  night,  during  a  downpour,  I  was  obliged  to 
open  my  umbrella  to  protect  my  face  from  the  rain  that 
fell  on  it  and  awakened  me.  My  furniture  consists  of 
a  cross,  a  small  table,  a  bench,  and  a  pile  of  books.  A 
piece  of  meat,  or  some  herbs  and  wild  roots,  washed  down 
by  a  glass  of  fresh  spring  water,  is  about  my  only  food. 
My  garden  is  the  immense  forest  of  Chateaubriand,  'old 
as  the  earth  which  bore  it,'  bordering  the  largest  river  in 
the  world;  the  huge  prairie  resembles  a  vast  sea,  where 
gazelle,  deer,  roebuck,  buffalo,  and  the  bison  graze  at  large. 

"My  gun  is  my  constant  companion.  One  must  go 
about  armed  to  defend  one's  life  from  the  red  bear  and 
the  starved  wolves  that  prowl  about  here.  Our  situation  is 
rendered  even  more  precarious  by  the  war  that  is  going  on 
between  the  Indians.  Bands  of  Otoes,  Pawnees,  and  Sioux 
roam  in  every  direction  seeking  scalps,  and  every  day  we 
get  fresh  news  of  their  atrocities. ' ' 21 

20  To  Francis  De  Smet,  July  30,  1839. 
"Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  May  30,  1839. 


THE  POTAWATOMI  MISSION  89 

But  in  this  barbarous  community,  the  missionary  de- 
vised means  of  being  reminded  of  the  dear  ones  at 
home:  "Among  the  converts  was  the  wife  of  the  great 
chief  and  I  named  her  Rosalie.  There  were  already 
many  named  Francis,  Charles,  Anthony,  Peter,  Jeannette, 
Marie,  Sophie,  and  Teresa.  All  those  I  have  baptized 
are  named  after  some  member  of  my  family  and  after 
friends."22 

Father  De  Smet  became  a  child  again  in  replying  to  a 
letter  from  little  Charles,  his  favorite  nephew:  "When  I 
walk  through  the  prairies  and  see  the  beautiful  flowers, 
I  often  say  to  myself :  '  If  Charles,  Sylvia,  Elmira,  Clemence, 
and  little  Rosalie  were  here,  what  exquisite  bouquets 
they  would  make  for  mother  and  father !  I  have  a  roebuck 
with  big  horns,  a  deer,  and  a  tame  bear  that  follows  me 
everywhere  on  the  prairies  and  is  as  quiet  and  gentle 
as  your  little  Fidele.  Were  you  with  your  uncle  and 
did  your  legs  get  tired,  hop!  hop!  you  and  Sylvia  would 
be  upon  the  bear's  back;  and  Clemence  and  Elmira 
upon  the  roebuck!  Little  Rosalie  would  mount  the  little 
deer,  and  we  would  all  trot  home  together!"23 

Although  of  a  sensitive  nature,  Father  De  Smet  was  in 
no  sense  a  weak  man.  No  fatigue  disheartened  him,  no 
danger  held  him  back  when  the  interests  of  the  mission 
were  in  question.  For  two  years  the  Potawatomies  lived 
in  constant  apprehension  of  being  attacked  by  their  ter- 
rible and  threatening  neighbors,  the  Sioux  of  the  Missouri. 
Recently  two  men  of  their  tribe  had  been  massacred,  and 
the  future  of  the  mission  was  endangered  so  long  as  there 
was  danger  of  these  murderous  incursions,  which  in  a  few 
hours  converted  a  populous  settlement  into  a  field  of 
carnage  and  death. 

The  missionary  resolved  to  go  to  the  enemy  armed  only 
with  faith;  to  speak  to  them  in  the  name  of  God  and  ask 
for  peace.  On  April  29,  1839,  ne  left  the  camp  and  took 
passage  on  a  steamboat  that  was  going  up  the  Missouri 
River.  On  board  he  found  two  Europeans  he  had  known 
in  St.  Louis,  Mr.  Nicollet  and  Mr.  Geyer,  who  were  being 

22  To  Francis  De  Smet,  Sept.  n,  1838. 

23  July  30,  1839. 


90      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

sent  by  the  Government  at  Washington  upon  a  scientific 
exploration  to  the  Indian  country. 

Low  water,  contrary  winds,  sand-bars,  and  numerous 
snags  forced  the  boat  to  proceed  slowly  and  with  great 
caution.  Every  time  it  landed  for  fuel,  Father  De  Smet 
accompanied  Mr.  Geyer  in  his  search  for  plants  and 
minerals.  "I  was  proud,"  he  writes,  "to  be  able  to  en- 
rich his  herbarium  with  several  specimens  that  might 
have  escaped  his  notice.  This  study  has  great  attraction 
for  me,  and  the  hours  I  have  spent  tramping  over  hill 
and  dale  with  a  friend  are  among  the  most  agreeable  of  my 
life."24  Mr.  Nicollet,  knowing  Father  De  Smet's  trust- 
worthiness, left  him  his  instruments  for  measuring  heights 
and  making  observations,  as  they  would  be  of  great  service 
to  the  missionary  in  working  on  his  map  of  Missouri.25 

The  conquest  of  a  soul,  however,  meant  more  to  the 
missionary  than  the  greatest  discoveries.  While  aboard 
the  boat  Father  De  Smet  instructed  and  baptized  a  mother 
and  her  three  children.  He  also  heard  the  confessions  of 
many  Canadians  who  were  going  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Twelve  days  after  his  departure  from  Council  Bluffs,  he 
arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Vermilion,  where  the  Sioux 
were  encamped.  He  parted  with  his  friends  with  great 
regret.  Alone,  and  unarmed,  he  was  going  to  plead  the 
cause  of  the  Potawatomies,  with  an  enemy  who  had  sworn 
to  exterminate  them. 

Providence,  who  destined  our  missionary  to  be  an  apostle 
of  peace  in  the  United  States,  crowned  with  success  his 
first  negotiations.  Faithful  to  the  law  of  hospitality,  the 
Indians  accorded  him  a  reception  that  augured  well. 
"Upon  my  arrival,"  he  writes,  "the  chief  and  the  warriors, 
some  Yanktons  of  the  Sioux  nation,  invited  me  to  a  feast. 
I  found  them  seated  in  a  circle  in  a  large  tent  made  of 
buffalo  hide,  their  chins  resting  on  their  knees,  a  position 
my  corpulence  forbade  me  assume.  I  seated  myself, 
crossing  my  legs  tailor  fashion.  Each  one  received  upon  a 
wooden  plate  a  huge  piece  of  venison.     Those  who  could 

24  To  Francis  De  Smet,  May  30,  1839. 

25  Cf.  Chittenden-Richardson,  pp.  1549  and  1552,  two  letters  of  Mr. 
Nicollet  to  Father  De  Smet.  One  sees  how  highly  the  learned  geographer 
valued  the  missionary's  contributions. 


THE  POTAWATOMI  MISSION  91 

not  consume  all  their  portion  were  allowed  to  take  away 
what  was  left.  This  I  did,  and  I  found  myself  with  two 
days'  rations."26 

The  repast  finished,  the  missionary  stated  the  object 
of  his  mission:  he  had  come  to  conclude  a  lasting  peace 
between  the  Sioux  and  the  Potawatomies.  The  conditions 
of  the  peace  pact  were  immediately  under  discussion. 
Father  De  Smet's  forceful  reasoning  and  his  charm  of 
manner  soon  dispelled  the  grievances  that  had  caused 
the  separation  of  the  two  peoples.  The  Sioux  agreed  to 
bury  the  hatchet,  and  swore  to  "cover  the  dead,"  by 
sending  presents  to  the  children  of  their  victims,  and  to 
smoke  with  them  the  pipe  of  peace.  Profiting  by  such 
dispositions,  the  missionary  spoke  to  them  about  religion, 
and  that  evening  gave  an  instruction  upon  the  principal 
articles  of  the  Creed.  The  following  day  he  administered 
baptism  to  a  few  of  the  tribe  and  blessed  several  marriages. 

After  sowing  the  first  seeds  of  faith  in  this  tribe,  he 
hastened  back  to  Council  Bluffs  to  tell  the  Potawatomies 
of  the  result  of  his  negotiations.  This  time  his  only 
means  of  transportation  was  a  primitive  canoe,  the  trunk  of 
a  tree  scooped  out  in  the  form  of  a  boat,  and  in  this  frail 
bark  he  descended  one  of  the  most  dangerous  rivers  in  the 
world.  Happily  he  had  with  him  two  skilled  pilots  who 
knew  the  whereabouts  of  the  rocks  that  abound  in  the 
Missouri.  The  boat  shot  like  an  arrow  into  the  current, 
covered  the  immense  distance,  and  brought  the  missionary 
back  safe  and  sound  to  his  dear  Potawatomies.  No  army 
had  accompanied  him,  and  without  combat  or  bloodshed 
he  returned  victorious,  his  hands  filled  with  the  benedictions 
of  peace.  The  Potawatomies  greeted  him  as  the  father 
and  saviour  of  their  nation. 

But  it  was  far  easier  to  cope  with  the  ferocity  of  the 
Indian  than  to  uproot  his  passion  for  intoxicating  liquors. 
"The  Government,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "pays  the 
Potawatomies  $50,000  annually  for  the  land  that  was 
taken  from  them.  With  the  payment  of  this  money  has 
come  a  following  of  thieves,  drunkards,  gamblers,  coun- 
terfeiters;   in  a  word,   the  dregs  of  the  United  States. 

26  To  the  Superior  of  the  Orphanage  at  Termonde,  July  I,  1839. 


92      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

They  exploit  the  Indians  and  furnish  them  with  quantities 
of  whiskey.27 

"So  long  as  he  has  a  penny  the  Indian  will  drink  and 
gamble.  Their  passion  for  drink  is  so  inconceivable  one 
must  see  it  to  believe  it :  it  affects  them  like  the  bite  of  a 
tarantula.  Instantly  their  blood  is  excited  and  like 
fire  in  their  veins;  they  are  mad  with  thirst  for  it,  and, 
obtaining  it,  clamor  for  more !  more !  until,  consumed  with 
'firewater,'  they  fall  down  dead  drunk.  Regaining  their 
their  senses,  their  first  cry  is  for  whiskey!  whiskey!  whiskey! 
as  though  life  and  death  depended  upon  getting  it. 

"Under  the  influence  of  liquor  their  passions  lead  them 
into  the  grossest  excesses,  beginning  with  songs  of  joy 
and  ending  with  howls  and  screams.  Disputes  and  quar- 
rels follow,  then  stabbing  and  head  -  smashing ;  finally, 
murder  is  the  crowning  crime  of  these  abominable  orgies. 
The  ground  is  strewn  with  the  dead,  and  the  living  are 
horribly  mutilated.  With  a  drunken  Indian  about,  no 
one  is  safe,  and  many  times  my  own  life  has  been  in 
danger."28 

The  Government,  it  is  true,  prohibited  the  introduction 
of  whiskey  into  the  Indian  Territory  under  penalty  of  the 
law,  but  no  agent  respected  the  law,  and  brandy  arrived 
in  cargoes.29  Indignant  at  the  breach  of  the  law,  Father 
De  Smet,  with  one  stroke  of  a  hatchet,  broke  open  a  cask 
destined  for  the  Indians,  and,  not  content  with  such 
measures,  he  wrote  a  strong  letter  to  the  Government  at 
Washington  denouncing  this  abuse  as  being  both  criminal 
and  illegal.  But  apparently  little  heed  was  given  in  high 
places  to  these  complaints ;  and  a  few  unworthy  Americans 
looked  on  with  satisfaction  at  the  self-destruction  of  a  race 
they  detested,  and  the  whites,  undisturbed,  continued 
their  odious  traffic. 

After  two  such  orgies  the  mission  seemed  doomed. 
"What  could  one  do  with  two  thousand  drunken  Indians? 
Where  would  it  end?     Who  can  say?     For  with  the  yearly 

27  Letter  of  Father  De  Smet  to  Mr.  Charles  Van  Mossevelde,  Sept.  18, 

1839- 

28  Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  Oct.  29,  1839. 

29  One  reads  with  interest  Father  De  Smet's  journal  from  May  10  to 
Oct.  15,  1839.     Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  1 71-178. 


THE   POTAWATOMI   MISSION  93 

arrival  of  the  money,  the  same  blackguards  would  return, 
and  the  same  scene  be  enacted."30 

But,  however  dark  the  future  appeared,  the  missionaries 
determined  not  to  desert  their  post.  More  than  ever  did 
they  endeavor  to  win  these  wild  natures  through  kindness. 
They  had  at  least  the  consolation  of  opening  heaven  to  a 
large  number  of  children.  "I  have  often  remarked,"  says 
Father  De  Smet,  "that  many  of  the  children  seem  to  await 
baptism  before  winging  their  flight  to  heaven,  for  they 
die  almost  immediately  after  receiving  the  Sacrament."31 
Among  adults,  conversions  were  becoming  more  rare;  at 
times  even  some  of  the  neophytes  fell  into  habits  of  vice 
that  desolated  the  mission.  The  greater  number,  how- 
ever, remained  faithful;  they  continued  to  follow  the 
instructions,  and  even  became  monthly  communicants. 
The  neighboring  tribes,  especially  the  Omahas,  were 
now  clamoring  for  the  Black  Robes. 

Seeing  what  good  he  could  still  accomplish,  our  mis- 
sionary took  heart.  After  writing  to  Father  De  Vos,  "I 
do  not  dare  advise  any  one  to  come  here,"32  he  rejoiced  to 
hear  that  many  novices  wished  to  share  his  labors.  "My 
heart  bounded  so  with  joy,  that  had  my  arms  not  been 
tightly  crossed,  I  believe  it  would  have  burst  forth;  this 
news,  I  feel  sure,  has  caused  equal  joy  to  the  angel  guar- 
dians of  our  poor  Indians.  The  tribe,  for  this,  assembled 
to  sing  canticles  of  thanksgiving  to  the  Most  High." 
Nevertheless,  he  advises  the  Master  of  Novices  "to  drill 
these  young  soldiers  of  Christ  after  the  rigorous  methods 
of  our  holy  founder,  St.  Ignatius.  Such  training  will 
make  them  of  great  service  in  this  country.  A  rusty  gun 
or  a  dull  sword  is  of  little  use  here."33 

In  1840  another  famine  threatened  to  increase  the 
hardships  and  difficulties  of  the  mission.  Provisions  were 
running  low,  and  the  looked-for  succor  did  not  arrive. 
Father  De  Smet  offered  to  go  himself  to  St.  Louis  to  get 
supplies.  He  left  Council  Bluffs  February  13th,  and  in 
spite  of  the  state  of  his  health,  was  quite  decided  to  return 
to  his  dear  Indians  as  soon  as  possible.     The  intense  cold 

30  Letter  to  Mr.  Charles  Van  Mossevelde,  Sept.  18,  1839. 

31  Letter  to  Father  De  Vos,  Dec.  18,  1839.  32  Ibid. 
33  To  Father  De  Vos,  Council  Bluffs,  Feb.  10,  1840. 


94      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

had  suspended  navigation,  so  he  was  obliged  to  travel 
on  foot,  then  on  horseback,  and  at  times  in  a  cart,  a  dis- 
tance of  nine  hundred  miles34  with  no  other  companion 
save  his  guide. 

The  winter,  he  tells  us,  was  a  severe  one.  "I  suffered 
greatly  during  the  journey,  often  sleeping  in  the  open,  in 
deep  snow,  with  only  two  blankets  for  covering.  A  bitter 
north  wind  froze  my  cheeks  and  one  side  of  my  nose. 
Droves  of  famished  wolves  appeared  from  time  to  time 
and  followed  us  howling,  but  as  they  kept  at  a  safe  distance 
we  were  not  alarmed. 

"The  intense  cold  affected  my  lungs  in  such  a  manner 
that  I  found  difficulty  in  breathing,  and  feared  at  one  time 
that  I  could  not  continue  my  journey.  Upon  arriving 
in  St.  Louis  I  was  put  under  the  care  of  a  physician — I,  who 
fear  American  doctors  as  I  do  the  pest.  This  one  hastened 
to  employ  the  entire  resources  of  the  apothecary :  bleeding 
and  leeches  were  the  first  prescription,  then  followed  baths, 
powders,  pills,  plasters,  and  every  known  tisane*  sweet, 
bitter,  hot,  cold,  and  tepid;  added  to  which  a  strict  regime 
was  ordered.  Complete  rest  quickly  restored  my  health 
and  I  immediately  set  about  getting  out  of  the  hands  of 
the  doctor,  who  would  soon  have  had  all  the  flesh  off  my 
bones."35 

If  cheerfulness  be  a  distinct  mark  of  the  missionary 
temperament,  Father  De  Smet  had  reason  to  be  thankful 
for  this  gift.  Notwithstanding  the  trials  and  hardships 
of  the  mission  and  the  silence  of  his  friends  which  pained 
him,  he  brought  a  cheerful  countenance  to  every  fatigue 
and  danger.  The  modest  assurance  of  a  heroism  which 
ignored  self  was  not  the  least  attractive  aspect  of  his 
personality. 

No  sooner  was  his  health  reestablished  than  he  began 
to  make  arrangements  to  rejoin  his  post.  He  collected 
provisions,  clothing,  church  ornaments,  vestments,  and 
agricultural  implements,  and  was  about  to  start,  when  he 
heard  he  was  to  be  sent  to  another  mission,   and  that 

34  On  the  first  trips  Father  De  Smet  could  only  roughly  calculate  distances; 
hence  there  may  be  some  inaccuracies. 

*  Translator's  Note.  A  mild  aqueous  infusion  possessing  nourishing  rather 
than  medicinal  properties. 

31  To  the  Carmelites  of  Termonde,  Westport,  April  27,  1840. 


THE  POTAWATOMI  MISSION  95 

Father  Christian  Hoecken  had  been  appointed  to  replace 
him  with  the  Potawatomies.36  The  two  years  spent  at 
Council  Bluffs  were  but  years  of  preparation;  the  great 
work  of  the  missionary  was  about  to  begin.  In  another 
theater  of  action,  and  into  the  heart  of  the  American 
wilderness,  he  was  to  carry  the  light  of  the  Gospel,  and 
be  known  henceforth  as  the  "apostle  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains." 

36  In  September,  1841,  Fathers  Verreydt  and  Hoecken  left  Council  Bluffs 
for  St.  Mary's  Mission,  established  two  years  before  at  Sugar  Creek  for 
the  Potawatomies  of  Kansas.  From  there  Father  Hoecken  continued  to 
visit  the  tribes  on  the  Upper  Missouri. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE    FLATHEADS.      FIRST   JOURNEY   TO   THE    ROCKY 
MOUNTAINS    (1840) 

The  Growing  Prosperity  of  the  United  States— The  Indian  Situation — 
Admirable  Dispositions  of  the  Flatheads— Old  Ignatius— The  Indians 
Who  Four  Times  Made  a  Three-thousand-mile  Journey  to  Obtain  the 
Black  Robes— Father  De  Smet  is  Sent  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  to 
Prepare  the  Foundation  of  a  New  Mission— How  One  Traveled  in 
1840  Across  the  Prairies — A  Meeting  between  Father  De  Smet  and  the 
Flatheads— One  of  Napoleon's  Grenadiers — A  Sojourn  in  the  Camp 
of  Big  Face — The  Missionary's  Joys — On  the  Summit  of  the  Rockies — 
Sanctus  Ignatius  Patronus  Montium — Father  De  Smet  Leaves  the 
Flatheads— Dangers  He  Encountered  in  the  Yellowstone — Triumphant 
Reception  by  the  Sioux — He  Returns  to  St.  Louis. 

SINCE  the  separation  of  the  Colonies  from  England 
the  United  States  had  marched  steadily  on  in  the 
path  of  progress  and  prosperity.  In  fifty  years,  "this 
infant  in  swaddling-clothes,"  as  spoken  of  by  Joseph  De 
Maistre,  had  attained  a  development  only  equaled  by 
that  of  some  of  the  great  European  countries.  In  1780 
the  population  of  the  United  States  numbered  3,000,000; 
in  1840  it  exceeded  17,000,000,  and  every  year  new  States 
and  cities  have  sprung  into  existence. 

The  pioneer  marched  ever  westward,  hewing,  with  fire 
and  axe,  a  path  through  the  virgin  forests,  and  weaving  a 
trail  in  the  tall  grass  of  the  prairies,  pitching  his  tent 
wherever  he  found  agricultural  land.  Before  this  steady 
conquest  the  wilderness  receded,  and  colonization  ad- 
vanced at  the  rate  of  from  twenty-four  to  thirty  miles  a 
year. 

But  what  became  of  the  Indians,  the  original  possessors 
of  the  American  soil?  They  beheld  their  domains  di- 
minishing continually,  and  numerous  tribes  driven  from  the 
Eastern  country  sought  refuge  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Missouri.     The  Indian  Territory  had  just  been  ceded  to- 


THE  FLATHEADS  97 

the  Indians,  and  there  the  Cherokees,  the  Creeks,  the 
Chickasaws,  the  Seminoles,  and  the  Kickapoos,  etc.,  en- 
deavored, under  the  supervision  of  the  Government,  to 
lead  the  life  and  acquire  the  habits  of  the  white  man. 
Other  Indians  had,  like  the  Potawatomies  of  Council 
Bluffs,  abandoned  the  greater  part  of  their  land  to  the 
Americans.  They  kept  for  themselves  only  an  independent 
settlement  called  a  "reservation,"  where  the  Government 
undertook  to  provide  for  their  subsistence,  at  least  for  a 
limited  number  of  years. 

But  the  greater  number  of  the  redskins  continued  their 
roaming  life  in  the  desert,  where  the  white  man  had  not 
yet  penetrated.  Upon  the  banks  of  the  Upper  Missouri, 
in  the  territories  of  Nebraska,  Wyoming,  Dakota,  and 
Montana,  lived  the  great  Sioux  Nation,  divided  into  several 
tribes.1 

Further  north,  on  the  frontier  of  the  British  possessions, 
roamed  the  Blackfeet,  the  Crows,  the  Assiniboins,  and  the 
Grosventres.  Lastly,  in  the  heart  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, and  in  the  fertile  valleys  watered  by  the  tributaries 
of  the  Columbia  River,  gathered  a  large  number  of  smaller 
tribes,  strangers  to  the  Missouri  Indians,  and  often  victims 
of  their  incursions.  These  were  the  Flatheads,  the  Pend 
d'Oreilles  or  Kalispels,  the  Cceur  d'Alenes,  the  Chaudieres, 
the  Spokanes,  the  Kootenais,  and  the  Nez  Perces. 

To  these  last  tribes  Father  De  Smet  was  henceforth  to 
consecrate  his  ardent  zeal  and  the  resources  of  his  great 
ability. 

Of  all  the  mountain  tribes,  the  most  interesting  were 
the  Flatheads.2  Lewis  and  Clarke,  the  explorers,  sent  in 
1804  on  an  expedition  to  discover  the  source  of  the  Mis- 
souri River,  were  the  first  white  men  to  penetrate  the 
region  of  the  Flatheads.3     This  tribe  numbered  scarcely 

1  See  complete  table  of  the  Sioux  tribes  compiled  by  Father  De  Smet. 
Selected  Letters,  ist  series,  p.  146. 

2  The  origin  of  this  name  is  unknown,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Nez  Perces, 
which  is  justified  neither  by  their  physical  formation,  nor  the  practices  in 
use  in  their  tribe. 

Translator's  Note:  The  Flatheads  are  said  to  belong  to  the  Sa-lish-an 
stock  found  in  Washington,  British  Columbia,  and  Montana. 

3  Cf.  "Travels  to  the  Source  of  the  Missouri  River,"  by  Captains  Lewis 
and  Clarke,  London,  18 14. 


98      THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

two  thousand  souls ;  but  if  inferior  in  numbers  to  many  of 
the  neighboring  tribes,  they  were  unsurpassed  in  bravery 
and  daring. 

A  member  of  that  celebrated  expedition,  in  speaking 
of  the  moral  degradation  in  which  many  of  the  tribes  were 
sunk,  adds:  "To  the  honor  of  the  Flatheads  who  live  on 
the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  they  must 
be  cited  as  an  exception.  This  is  the  only  tribe  that 
has  any  idea  of  chastity."4  Mr.  Cox,  who  in  1812-1814 
traded  furs  with  them,  tells  us  that  the  Flatheads  possessed 
nobler  qualities  than  any  of  the  other  Western  tribes. 
They  are,  he  says,  honest,  obedient  to  their  chiefs,  cleanly 
in  their  huts  and  personal  habits,  and  hold  lying  in  abhor- 
rence. Polygamy  is  almost  unknown  among  them.  The 
women  are  excellent  wives  and  mothers,  and  so  celebrated  for 
their  fidelity  that  the  contrary  failing  is  a  rare  exception.5 

Such  a  race  was  ready  to  receive  the  Gospel.  The 
French  Jesuits  who  fell  under  the  tomahawk  of  the  Iroquois 
in  the  seventeenth  century,  little  dreamed  that  the  faith 
they  had  preached  and  sealed  with  their  blood  would  one 
day  be  carried  beyond  the  Mississippi  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains and  as  far  West  as  the  Pacific  Coast  by  the  descend- 
ants of  these  same  Indians  who  had  treated  them  with  such 
barbarity. 

Let  us  here  recall  this  extraordinary  evangelization. 
Between  the  years  181 2  and  1820  a  band  of  Catholic  Iro- 
quois left  the  Caughnawaga  Mission  near  Montreal,  and, 
crossing  the  Mississippi  valley,  directed  their  steps  to 
the  unknown  regions  of  the  West.  What  could  have 
been  their  object  in  migrating  to  the  far  West?  Pos- 
sibly, they  were  unconsciously  serving  the  designs  of 
Providence  in  behalf  of  those  who  were  to  become  their 
brothers  by  adoption.  The  chief  of  the  band,  Ignatius 
La  Mousse,  had  been  baptized  and  married  by  the 
Jesuits   and   remained   for   some    time   in   their   service.6 

*  Journal  of  Sergeant  Patrick  Gass,  quoted  by  Father  Palladino,  "Indian 
and  White  in  the  Northwest,"  p.  4. 

5Cf.  Palladino,  op.  cit.,  pp.  4-8.  See  Helen  Hunt  Jackson,  "A  Century 
of  Dishonor,"  pp.  377,  etc. 

6  These  details  have  been  taken  from  a  letter  of  Father  H61ias  d'Hudde- 
ghem  (July  4,  1836).  We  see  from  it  that  he  conversed  for  some  time  at 
St.  Louis  with  Ignatius  and  his  children. 


THE  FLATHEADS  99 

The  Indians  called  him  Old  Ignatius,  to  distinguish  him 
from  another  Iroquois,  the  Young  Ignatius  of  whom  we 
will  speak  later  on. 

The  travelers  were  so  cordially  received  by  the  Flatheads 
that  they  decided  to  remain  with  them.  Ties  of  marriage 
soon  strengthened  the  bonds  of  friendship,  and  the  new- 
comers became  members  of  their  people.  Beneath  his 
native  ruggedness  and  rare  intelligence,  the  soul  of  an 
apostle  lay  hidden  in  Old  Ignatius.  His  courage  and 
loyalty  acquired  for  him  an  influence  which  he  used  for  the 
good  of  the  tribe.  He  often  spoke  to  the  Flatheads  of  the 
Catholic  faith,  of  its  beliefs,  its  prayers,  and  its  ceremonies. 
The  conclusion  of  his  discourse  was  always  the  same  ap- 
peal :  to  send  for  a  Black  Robe  to  instruct  them  and  show 
them  the  way  to  heaven. 

The  Flatheads  listened  most  attentively,  and  learned 
from  him  the  principal  mysteries  of  the  Faith,  the  great 
precepts  of  Christianity,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Sign  of  the 
Cross,  and  other  religious  practices.  Their  lives  were 
regulated  by  this  teaching;  they  said  morning  and  night 
prayers,  sanctified  Sunday,  baptized  the  dying,  and 
placed  a  cross  over  the  graves  of  their  dead. 

The  Pend  d'Oreilles  and  Nez  Perces,  tribes  friendly  to 
the  Flatheads,  were  eager  to  be  instructed,  and  all  ardently 
longed  for  the  Black  Robes.  But  how  to  obtain  them? 
To  reach  the  Montreal  and  Quebec  Missions  meant  a 
journey  of  over  four  thousand  miles. 

Catholic  priests,  however,  finally  arrived  in  Missouri, 
and  the  news  reached  the  mountains,  doubtless  brought  by 
merchants  who  made  yearly  trips  up  the  river.  Old 
Ignatius  at  once  assembled  the  tribe  in  council,  and  pro- 
posed sending  a  deputation  to  St.  Louis  in  search  of 
a  missionary.  The  proposition  was  enthusiastically  re- 
ceived, and  four  Indians  offered  to  start  at  once.  It  was 
a  bold  undertaking.  How  were  they  to  accomplish  a 
journey  of  three  thousand  miles  over  high  mountains, 
broad  rivers,  and  across  arid  plains  and  the  sands  of  the 
desert?  How  avoid  meeting  the  Crows  and  Blackfeet, 
mortal  enemies  of  the  Flatheads? 

The  four  travelers  left  their  country  in  the  spring  of 
1 83 1,  ready  to  brave  every  danger  in  order  to  obtain  a 


ioo     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

priest.7  It  is  very  probable,  however,  that  they  joined  a 
caravan  of  merchants  who  were  going  East.  In  the 
beginning  of  October  the  deputation  arrived  at  St.  Louis, 
repairing  at  once  to  a  Catholic  church  to  prostrate  them- 
selves before  Him  whom  Ignatius  had  taught  them  to 
adore,  praying  fervently  that  their  long  journey  would 
not  be  in  vain,  and  that  they  might  realize  their  hearts' 
desire.  The  dignified  bearing  and  piety  of  the  Indians 
greatly  impressed  all  who  met  them,  but  unfortunately  no 
one  could  understand  their  language. 

Yet  another  trial  awaited  them.  Worn  out  by  the 
fatigues  of  a  journey  that  had  lasted  several  months, 
two  members  of  the  deputation  fell  ill  and  died  within 
a  few  days.8  The  two  surviving  Indians  set  out  for  the 
mountains,  but  never  reached  their  tribes,  nor  is  it  known 
whether  they,  too,  succumbed  to  fatigue,  or  were  massacred. 

This  expedition,  however,  was  not  in  vain,  for  it  made 
known  the  existence  of  the  Flatheads,  and  gained  the 
interest  of  the  public.  Catholic  priests  were  so  scarce 
at  that  time  that  a  new  mission  could  not  be  started.  The 
Protestants,  wishing  to  profit  by  this  condition,  endeavored 
on  two  occasions  to  get  in  touch  with  the  Indians.  In 
1834  the  Flatheads  learned  that  a  band  of  missionaries 
was  en  route  to  their  tribe,  and  they  concluded  it  was  the 
Black  Robes  with  the  messengers  who  had  been  sent  to 
fetch  them.  Great  was  their  disappointment  when  the 
caravan  arrived  and  they  beheld  not  one  of  their  tribe  in  the 
party.  The  missionaries,  moreover,  in  no  way  resembled 
those  the  Iroquois  had  told  them  about.  They  were 
married  and  they  did  not  wear  either  the  black  robe  or  the 
crucifix,   neither  did  they  recite  the   "big  prayer"    (the 

7  According  to  Father  Helias  d'Huddeghem,  the  chief  of  the  expedition 
was  called  Martin,  and  was  Ignatius'  uncle.  He  died  shortly  after  arriving 
at  St.  Louis.  His  companions  belonged  to  the  Flatheads  and  the  Nez 
Perces. 

8  "I  was  at  that  time  absent  from  St.  Louis,"  wrote  Bishop  Rosati. 
"  Two  of  our  priests  went  to  see  the  poor  Indians,  who  seemed  delighted 
with  their  visit.  They  made  the  Sign  of  the  Cross  and  other  signs  connected 
with  baptism,  which  Sacrament  was  administered  to  them,  to  their  great 
satisfaction.  A  crucifix  was  given  to  them  which  they  seized  eagerly, 
kissing  it  several  times  and  clinging  to  it  until  they  died.  The  bodies  were 
taken  to  the  church  and  buried  with  full  Catholic  ceremonies."  (Annals 
of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  Dec.  31,  1831.) 


THE  FLATHEADS  101 

Mass).  These  were  not  the  masters  they  expected. 
Realizing  that  it  was  useless  to  remain,  the  Methodists 
left  to  establish  themselves  in  Oregon.  Another  attempt 
was  made  a  year  later  by  the  American  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions,  with  no  greater  measure  of  success. 

The  Flatheads,  despairing  of  seeing  again  their  brothers 
that  had  left  the  camp  four  years  previously,  decided  to 
send  a  second  deputation  to  St.  Louis.  This  time  Ignatius 
offered  to  go  himself.  Taking  with  him  his  two  sons, 
whom  he  wished  to  have  baptized,  he  left  the  mountains  in 
the  summer  of  1 83  5 .  After  unspeakable  fatigues  and  hard- 
ships the  deputation  reached  St.  Louis  the  beginning  of 
December.  Having  been  taught  French  when  a  child, 
Ignatius  could  explain  the  object  of  his  journey.  A 
Belgian  Jesuit,  Father  Helias  d'Huddeghem,  heard  his 
confession  and  prepared  his  sons  for  baptism. 

For  some  time  the  Fathers  in  St.  Louis  had  wished  to 
establish  a  mission  on  the  other  side  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, but  as  the  number  of  priests  hardly  sufficed  for  the 
work  of  the  college,  the  Father  General  could  not  then 
undertake  another  foundation.  Ignatius,  nevertheless, 
•continued  to  plead  for  a  priest,  in  the  name  of  the  tribes 
whose  delegate  he  was.  "I  consoled  him  as  best  I  could," 
wrote  Father  Helias,  "assuring  him  that  our  'Black  Chief 
at  Rome  would  shortly  provide  for  the  needs  of  his  people, 
and  that  if  permission  was  given  to  me,  I  would  start  at 
once  for  the  mountains."  9  Bishop  Rosati  also  promised  to 
send  missionaries,  and  cheered  with  this  hope  Ignatius 
returned  to  his  country. 

Eighteen  months  passed,  and  yet  no  Black  Robe  ar- 
rived. In  the  summer  of  1837  a  third  deputation  started 
for  St.  Louis.  It  was  composed  of  three  Flatheads,  one 
Nez  Perce,  and  their  chief,  Old  Ignatius.  In  traversing 
the  Sioux  country  they  encountered  a  band  of  three  hun- 
dred warriors.  Ignatius,  who  was  dressed  as  a  white  man, 
might  have  been  spared,  as  the  Sioux  thought  he  belonged 
to  a  caravan  of  white  men  returning  to  St.  Louis;  but  the 
valiant  old  man  refused  to  be  separated  from  his  com- 
panions. Knowing  they  were  lost,  the  Flatheads  deter- 
mined to  at  least  uphold  the  honor  of  their  tribe.     Fifteen 

9  To  Madam  Helias  d'Huddeghem,  July  4,  1836. 


io2     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  SJ. 

Sioux  entered  into  combat  with  them.  At  last,  defeated 
and  outnumbered,  they  fell,  offering  their  lives  to  God  for 
the  salvation  of  their  brothers. 

Upon  learning  this  crushing  news  the  poor  Indians  asked 
themselves  if  they  would  ever  obtain  a  Catholic  priest, 
and  undaunted,  decided  to  send  a  fourth  deputation  to 
St.  Louis.  Two  Iroquois  who  had  some  knowledge  of 
French  offered  to  go.  One  was  called  Peter  Gaucher,  the 
other,  the  Young  Ignatius.  They  left  in  1839,  joining  a 
party  of  trappers  traveling  in  the  same  direction.  About 
the  middle  of  September  the  deputation  passed  the  St. 
Joseph  Mission,  at  Council  Bluffs.  They  visited  the  mis- 
sion which  had  been  established  the  year  before  for  the 
Potawatomies,  and  there  Father  De  Smet  beheld  for  the 
first  time  those  to  whom  he  would  soon  begin  his  apostolate. 
"With  tears  in  their  eyes  they  begged  me  to  return  with 
them.  If  only  my  health  would  permit  it,  I  might  have 
the  luck  this  time  to  get  further  up  the  Missouri.  Should 
God  deem  me  worthy  of  the  honor,  I  would  willingly  give 
my  life  to  help  these  Indians."10 

A  few  weeks  later  our  two  travelers  arrived  at  St.  Louis. 
They  made  their  confessions  to  one  of  the  Fathers  at  the 
college,  then  went  to  the  cathedral  to  hear  Mass  and  receive 
holy  communion,  and  there  Bishop  Rosati  confirmed  them. 

After  a  long  conversation  with  the  Indians  the  good 
Bishop  wrote  to  the  General  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  telling 
him  of  the  sterling  qualities  of  these  Indians,  and  re- 
counting their  efforts  of  the  past  eight  years  to  obtain  a 
Catholic  priest.  The  letter  concluded  in  the  following 
words:  "For  the  love  of  God,  Most  Reverend  Father,  do 
not  abandon  these  souls."11  Touched  by  this  earnest  ap- 
peal, the  Father  General  agreed  to  send  a  priest.  At  last 
the  Flatheads  were  to  realize  their  long-deferred  desire. 
Peter  Gaucher  started  at  once  to  carry  the  good  news  to 
his  tribe,  Young  Ignatius  remaining  in  St.  Louis  to  act  as 
guide  to  the  missionary,  who  would  start  in  the  spring. 

When  Father  De  Smet  heard  of  the  promise  made  to  the 
Flatheads  he  offered  at  once  to  go  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

10  Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  Council  Bluffs,  Oct.  29,  1839. 

11  St.  Louis,  Oct.  20,  1839. 


FATHER   DE   SMET,   APOSTLE  OP  THE  ROCKIES 


THE  FLATHEADS  103 

Knowing  his  health  was  not  yet  entirely  restored  after 
the  hardships  of  his  recent  journey,  his  Superiors  for  some 
time  withheld  their  consent,  but  finally  yielded  to  his 
importunities.12 

At  that  time  there  was  no  question  of  definitely  establish- 
ing a  mission  for  the  tribe,  but  simply  of  studying  the 
country  with  this  end  in  view.  The  missionary,  more- 
over, entertained  no  illusions  as  to  the  difficulties  of  the 
enterprise:  "It  is  a  journey  fraught  with  many  dangers," 
he  wrote  to  his  brother,  "but  God,  in  whom  I  put  my  trust, 
will,  I  hope,  guide  me,  for  it  is  for  His  greater  glory  that  I 
undertake  it.  The  salvation  of  a  whole  nation  is  at  stake. 
Pray  for  me;  and  have  little  Charles  pray  especially  for 
me  every  day:  talium  est  regnum  coelorum,  their  innocence 
makes  them  friends  of  God." 13 

His  Superior  had  intended  giving  him  an  assistant,  but 
the  necessary  money  was  not  forthcoming,  so  he  started 
alone,  with  only  Young  Ignatius  as  guide.  They  left  St. 
Louis  March  27,  1840,  arriving  a  few  days  later  at  West- 
port,14  the  frontier  city  of  Missouri,  and  the  meeting-place 
of  the  merchants  en  route  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  He 
here  procured  horses  for  his  journey,  buying  seven  in  all, 
one  for  himself,  one  for  his  guide,  and  five  for  transporting 
baggage  and  provisions.  They  were  to  join  a  caravan  of 
about  thirty  men  belonging  to  the  American  Fur  Company. 
Before  starting  for  the  great  desert,  he  placed  himself 
under  the  protection  of  the  Queen  of  heaven,  and  wrote 
for  the  last  time  to  his  brothers  and  sisters.  In  the  firm 
belief  that  he  was  answering  the  call  of  God,  he  departed 
cheerfully  and  confidently:  "God  has  surely  great  designs 
upon  these  poor  tribes,  and  I  thank  Him  with  my  whole 
heart  for  having  chosen  me  for  this  mission.  I  fear 
nothing,  and  never  in  my  life  have  I  experienced  greater 
happiness  and  tranquillity."15 

12  "He  manifested,"  writes  Father  Verhaegen,  "such  eagerness  and  ardent 
zeal  for  the  work;  he  possessed,  moreover,  such  remarkable  qualities,  that 
it  was  hardly  possible  for  us  to  make  another  choice.  His  prudence  and 
ability  assured  the  successful  termination  of  his  journey."  (To  Francis  De 
Smet,  St.  Louis,  April  24,  1840.) 

13  To  Francis  De  Smet,  St.  Louis,  March  16,  1840. 

14  To-day  this  is  Kansas  City. 

15  To  Francis  De  Smet,  Westport,  April  24,  1840. 


io4     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

The  caravan  started  April  30th,  going  west  across  arid 
plains  that  were  intersected  by  deep  gorges.  Soon  the 
intense  heat  began  to  affect  them.  "When  only  ten 
days  out,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "I  was  seized  with 
an  attack  of  intermittent  fever,  with  the  chills  which 
usually  precede  such  an  attack.  My  friends  urged  me  to 
return,  but  my  longing  to  see  the  mountain  tribes  was 
stronger  than  any  argument  they  could  offer  to  deter  me 
from  going. 

' '  I  followed  the  caravan  as  best  as  I  could,  holding  my- 
self on  my  horse  until  my  strength  was  exhausted.  They 
then  laid  me  upon  a  cart,  where  I  was  jolted  about  like  a 
"bale  of  goods.  Often  in  crossing  deep  and  steep  ravines 
I  was  thrown  into  extraordinary  positions;  sometimes  my 
feet  shot  up  in  the  air,  and  again  I  fell  between  packing- 
cases.  I  would  shiver  with  cold  one  minute  and  the  next 
be  dripping  with  perspiration,  and  crimson  from  the  raging 
fever.  For  three  days — when  my  fever  was  at  its  height— 
I  had  only  stale,  salt  water  to  quench  my  thirst."16  On 
May  1 8th  they  reached  the  Platte  or  Nebraska  River, 
"the  most  marvelous  and  useless  of  rivers,"  two  miles 
wide,  and  in  places  only  from  three  to  six  feet  deep,  which 
renders  it  unnavigable.  Hence  the  caravan  was  obliged 
to  continue  the  journey  by  land. 

Father  De  Smet  appreciated  keenly  the  grandeur  and 
beauty  of  the  country,  and  gazed  with  delight  upon  the 
islands  that  lay  in  groups  in  the  river,  which  from  a  dis- 
tance resembled  a  flotilla  of  boats,  their  sails  entwined 
with  garlands  of  green  and  festoons  of  flowers.17  Thou- 
sands of  buffalo  ranged  the  vast  prairies,  recalling  to  mind 
the  flocks  of  the  patriarchs  that  once  covered  the  moun- 
tains in  the  East. 

Then  came  the  desert,  with  its  arid,  desolate  plains, 
where  the  grass  was  parched  and  the  rivers  and  streams 
dry;  the  deer,  buffalo,  and  roebuck  sought  refuge  in  the 
few  oases  where  life  still  existed.  Piles  of  stone,  steep 
peaks,  and  deep  ravines  were  encountered;  and  walls  of 
rock,  seemingly  unsurmountable,  barred  their  progress. 

Father  De  Smet  was  greatly  interested  in  meeting  bands 

16  Narrative  addressed  to  Francis  De  Smet,  St.  Louis,  Jan.  25,  1841. 

17  Ibid. 


JOURNEY  TO  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS   105 

of  Indians  of  different  tribes.  Formerly  these  tribes  were 
in  peaceful  possession  of  the  prairies,  and  now  they  were 
being  driven  back  into  the  forests  and  gorges.  "Some 
day  this  country  may  be  the  cradle  of  a  new  people,  com- 
posed of  the  original  savage  races,  and  of  adventurers, 
fugitives,  and  the  outcasts  of  society :  a  heterogeneous  and 
dangerous  population,  that  the  American  Union  gathers 
like  a  sinister  cloud  upon  its  frontiers.  The  Indian  tribes 
that  are  being  transported  from  the  country  east  of  the 
Mississippi  to  the  solitudes  of  the  West,  carry  with  them  an 
implacable  hatred  of  the  white  man,  who  has  unjustly 
driven  them  from  the  tombs  of  their  fathers  and  robbed 
them  of  their  heritage.  Hence  their  numbers  are  aug- 
mented, and  resentment  is  rife.  In  time,  will  not  these 
tribes  assemble  in  bands  to  pillage  and  massacre — mounted 
upon  the  fleet-footed  horses  of  the  prairie — the  desert 
for  the  theater  of  their  brigandage,  their  lives  and  spoils 
sheltered  behind  inaccessible  rocks?"18 

The  future  alas!  but  too  well  justified  his  prevision. 

After  following  the  right  bank  of  the  Nebraska  for  a 
month  the  missionary  reached  the  Rocky  Mountains  about 
the  middle  of  June.  "They  are  rocks  piled  upon  rocks 
and  seem  the  ruins  of  an  entire  world,  covered  with  the 
shroud  of  eternal  snows."19  The  caravan  camped  at 
Green  River,  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Colorado.  The 
Indian  and  Canadian  beaver-hunters  assembled  there  every 
year  to  sell  their  furs,  or  exchange  them  for  articles  fur- 
nished by  the  white  men. 

Arriving  at  Green  River  June  30th,  what  must  have  been 
Father  De  Smet's  joy  when  he  beheld  a  group  of  Flat- 
heads  approaching.  Peter  Gaucher  had  brought  back 
from  St.  Louis  the  news  that  a  Black  Robe  would  soon 
come  with  Young  Ignatius.  The  great  chief  immediately 
dispatched  ten  warriors  to  meet  the  missionary  and  escort 
him  to  the  camp.     He  himself  followed  with  all  his  tribe. 

"Our  meeting,"  says  Father  De  Smet,  "was  not  that 
of  strangers,  but  of  friends.  They  were  like  children 
who,  after  a  long  absence,  run  to  meet  their  father.  I  wept 
for  joy  in  embracing  them,  and  with  tears  in  their  eyes  they 

18  Narrative  cited.    Cf.  W.  Irving,  "Astoria,"  Chap.  xxii. 

19  Ibid. 


106     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

welcomed  me  with  tender  words,  with  childlike  simplicity. 
The  Flatheads  gave  me  the  news  of  the  tribe,  recounting 
their  almost  miraculous  preservation  in  a  battle  that  lasted 
five  days,  in  which  they  killed  about  fifty  of  the  enemy 
without  losing  a  single  man.  'We  fought  like  braves,'  they 
told  me,  'sustained  by  our  desire  to  see  you.  The  Great 
Spirit  had  pity  upon  us,  and  helped  us  to  clear  of  all 
danger  the  road  you  must  follow.  The  Blackfeet  retired 
weeping.  It  will  be  some  time  now  before  they  molest 
us  again.'  Together  we  thanked  God  for  His  protection 
and  begged  for  His  assistance  to  the  end."20 

But  the  party  had  yet  to  traverse  the  most  difficult  and 
dangerous  part  of  the  way.  While  the  horses  were  resting 
Father  De  Smet  spent  several  days  conversing  with  the 
Indians  assembled  upon  the  banks  of  the  Green  River. 
He  saw  for  the  first  time  the  Snakes,  who  were  reduced  to 
feeding  on  roots  they  dug  out  of  the  ground,  and  the 
Ampajoots  [Yampah  Utes?],  who  were  still  more  impover- 
ished. "The  country  they  inhabit  is  a  veritable  moor. 
They  live  in  crevices  in  the  rocks  and  in  holes  dug  in  the 
earth.  These  Indians  wear  no  clothing,  and  their  weapons 
consist  of  bow  and  arrow,  and  a  sharp  stick.  They  wander 
over  the  barren  plains  searching  for  ants  and  grasshoppers, 
which  they  eat;  insipid  roots  and  nauseous  berries  are  re- 
garded as  a  feast.  Men,  whose  word  I  cannot  doubt,  have 
told  me  that  they  feed  on  the  dead  bodies  of  their  relatives, 
and  even  eat  their  children. ' ' 21  Such  misery  appealed  to  the 
heart  of  our  missionary,  and  he  would  gladly  have  stayed 
to  consecrate  his  life  to  those  degraded  people.  He  had, 
however,  the  consolation  of  baptizing  several  of  the  tribe 
and  giving  them  a  glimpse  of  eternal  joys. 

The  Nez  Perces,  the  Spokanes,  and  the  Cceur  d'Alenes 
were  more  human  in  their  habits  and  customs.  They 
inhabited  a  fertile  country  and  their  wealth  consisted  prin- 
cipally of  horses,  some  of  the  tribes  possessing  five  or  six 
hundred.  All  manifested  a  great  desire  to  have  a  Black 
Robe  among  them.  The  Kalispels,  or  Pend  d'Oreilles,  re- 
sembled the  Flatheads  in  character,  language,  and  habits, 
and  formed  with  them  one  people.  Like  the  latter,  they 
had  led  a  wandering  life,  and  merely  awaited  the  arrival 

20  Narrative  cited.  21  Ibid. 


JOURNEY  TO  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS   107 

of  the  missionary  to  begin  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  and 
to  live  according  to  the  precepts  of  the  Gospel. 

While  conversing  with  the  Indians,  Father  De  Smet 
took  occasion  to  give  some  salutary  advice  to  the  Canadian 
hunters  who  seemed  to  him  "to  have  great  need  of  it." 
Great  was  his  astonishment  to  find  a  compatriot  among 
them,  a  Fleming  of  Ghent.  John  Baptiste  De  Velder 
had  been  an  old  grenadier  in  Napoleon's  army.  Taken 
prisoner  in  Spain,  he  escaped  from  the  English  colonies 
in  an  American  ship,  and  for  the  past  years  had  hunted 
beaver  in  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Enchanted  to  have  found 
a  Belgian  nine  thousand  miles  from  his  country,  he  gener- 
ously offered  to  accompany  the  missionary  and  serve  him 
during  his  journey.  He  was  resolved,  he  said,  to  spend 
the  remainder  of  his  life  serving  God.  John  Baptiste  had 
almost  entirely  forgotten  Flemish,  remembering  only  his 
prayers,  and  a  hymn  in  honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  he 
had  learned  at  his  mother's  knee,  and  which  he  recited 
daily. 

July  3d  was  a  Sunday.  Father  De  Smet  offered  the 
Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  at  an  altar  erected  upon  elevated 
ground  and  decorated  with  wild  flowers.  This  was  the 
first  time  Mass  had  been  said  in  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
1 '  I  preached  in  French  and  English  (writes  the  missionary) 
to  the  American  and  Canadian  hunters,  and  then  through 
an  interpreter  addressed  the  Flatheads  and  the  Snakes.22 
It  was  a  consoling  sight  to  see  this  cosmopolitan  gathering 
following  devoutly  the  Sacred  Mysteries.  The  Canadians 
sang  some  hymns  in  French  and  Latin,  while  the  Indians 
chanted  in  their  own  tongue.  The  service  was  truly 
Catholic.  The  place  where  the  Holy  Sacrifice  was  offered 
has  since  been  called  by  the  trappers,  'The  plain  of  the 
Holy  Sacrifice.'"23 

The  next  day  the  gathering  dispersed.  Accompanied 
by  his  faithful  Fleming  and  the  delegates  from  the  Flat- 
heads,  Father  De  Smet  continued  his  journey.  After 
crossing  mountains  and  rivers,  and  scaling  precipices  for 
eight  days,  they  arrived  at  the  Indian  camp. 

The  Flatheads,  Pend  d'Oreilles,  and  Nez  Perces,  came 

22  Also  Shoshones  or  Rootdiggers.     See  Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  219. 

23  Narrative  addressed  to  the  Carmelites  at  Termonde,  March  1,  1841 


108     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

from  a  distance  of  eight  hundred  miles  to  meet  them,24 
and  in  their  midst  Father  De  Smet  tasted  the  purest  joys 
of  his  apostolic  life.     He  himself  shall  tell  us  of  it. 

"The  poles  were  already  set  up  for  my  tent,  and  upon 
my  arrival,  men,  women,  and  children,  sixteen  hundred 
souls  in  all,  came  to  shake  hands  with  me  and  bid  me  wel- 
come. The  old  men  cried  for  joy,  and  the  children  ex- 
pressed gladness  by  gambols  and  screams  of  delight. 
These  kind  Indians  conducted  me  to  the  tent  of  the  great 
chief,  a  patriarchal  person  called  Big  Face,  who,  sur- 
rounded by  his  council,  received  me  with  great  cordiality. 
'Black  Robe,'  he  said,  'welcome  to  my  nation.  Our 
hearts  rejoice,  for  to-day  the  Great  Spirit  has  granted  our 
petition.  You  have  come  to  a  people  poor,  plain,  and  sub- 
merged in  the  darkness  of  ignorance.  I  have  always  ex- 
horted my  children  to  love  the  Great  Spirit.  We  know 
that  all  that  exists  belongs  to  Him  and  everything  we 
have  comes  from  His  generous  hands.  From  time  to 
time  kind  white  men  have  given  us  good  advice,  which 
we  have  striven  to  follow.  Our  ardent  desire  to  be  in- 
structed in  what  concerns  our  salvation  has  led  us  on 
several  occasions  to  send  a  deputation  of  our  people  to 
the  great  Black  Robe  [the  Bishop]  of  St.  Louis  to  ask 
him  to  send  a  priest.  Black  Robe,  speak!  We  are  all 
your  children.  Show  us  the  path  we  must  follow  to  reach 
the  place  where  abides  the  Great  Spirit.  Our  ears  are 
open,  our  hearts  will  heed  your  words!  Speak,  Black 
Robe!   we  will  follow  the  words  of  your  mouth!' 

"I  then  spoke  at  length  to  these  good  people  upon  the 
subject  of  religion.  I  told  them  the  object  of  my  mission, 
and  asked  them  to  give  up  their  wandering  life  and  settle 
in  a  fertile  district.  All  declared  themselves  ready  and 
willing  to  exchange  the  bow  and  arrow  for  the  spade  and 
the  plow.  I  drew  up  a  set  of  rules  for  the  religious  exercises. 
One  of  the  chiefs  immediately  brought  me  a  bell,  and 
that  first  evening  it  called  the  Indians  to  assemble  around 

24  Father  De  Smet  passed  then  quite  near  to  "the  land  of  wonders,"  since 
■called  the  National  Park  of  America.  But  he  knew  the  country  only  later 
from  the  accounts  of  another  traveler.  (See  Selected  Letters,  ist  Series, 
P-  97-) 


JOURNEY  TO  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS  109 

my  tent.  After  a  short  instruction,  night  prayers  were 
said.  Before  retiring  they  sang  in  admirable  harmony 
three  hymns  in  praise  of  the  Great  Spirit  of  their  own 
composition.  No  words  can  express  how  deeply  I  was 
touched. 

"The  great  chief  was  up  every  morning  at  daybreak. 
He  would  mount  his  horse  and  make  the  tour  of  the  camp, 
haranguing  his  people:  'Come,'  said  he,  'courage,  my 
children !  Tell  Him  you  love  Him,  and  ask  Him  to  make 
you  charitable !  Courage,  the  sun  is  rising.  Come,  bathe 
in  the  river.  Be  punctual  and  at  our  Father's  tent  on  the 
tap  of  the  bell.  Be  still,  open  your  ears  to  hear,  and  your 
hearts  to  retain  the  words  he  will  speak.' 

' '  When  all  were  ready  I  rang  the  bell  for  prayers  and  in- 
struction. From  the  day  I  arrived  until  I  left  the  Flat- 
heads,  their  avidity  to  hear  the  word  of  God  increased 
daily.  I  preached  regularly  four  times  a  day,  and  each 
time  they  ran  eagerly  to  secure  good  places.  Those  who 
were  sick  were  carried  to  the  sermons. 

' '  The  morning  after  our  arrival  I  began  at  once  to  trans- 
late the  prayers  through  an  interpreter.  Fifteen  days 
later  I  promised  a  medal  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  to  the  one 
who  would  be  the  first  to  recite  the  Pater,  Ave,  and  Credo, 
the  Ten  Commandments,  and  the  four  Acts  without  a 
fault.  A  chief  arose.  'Father,'  he  said,  'your  medal 
belongs  to  me';  and  to  my  great  surprise  he  recited  all 
the  prayers  without  missing  a  word.  I  embraced  him, 
and  made  him  my  catechist.  He  performed  this  function 
so  zealously  that  in  ten  days  the  whole  tribe  knew  their 
prayers. 

"I  had  the  happiness  of  regenerating  nearly  three 
hundred  Indians  in  the  waters  of  baptism.  They  all 
begged  for  the  Sacrament,  and  manifested  the  best  pos- 
sible dispositions.  But  as  the  absence  of  the  missionary 
would  be  only  temporary,  I  deemed  it  wiser  to  put  off 
the  others  until  the  following  year,  not  only  with  the  inten- 
tion of  giving  them  an  exalted  idea  of  the  Sacrament,  but 
also  to  try  them  in  regard  to  the  indissolubility  of  mar- 
riage, something  quite  unknown  among  the  Indian  nations 
of  America. 

"Among  the  adults  baptized  were  two  great  chiefs,  one 


no    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

belonging  to  the  Flatheads,  the  other  to  the  Pend  d'Oreilles, 
both  over  eighty  years  of  age.  When  I  exhorted  them  to 
renew  their  sentiments  of  contrition  for  their  sins,  Walking 
Bear  (the  name  of  the  second)  replied:  'In  my  youth  and 
even  later  in  life  I  lived  in  complete  ignorance  of  good 
and  evil,  and  during  that  time  I  must  often  have  dis- 
pleased God.  I  sincerely  ask  for  pardon.  But  when  I 
fully  realized  that  a  thing  was  sinful  I  immediately  ban- 
ished it  from  my  heart.  I  do  not  remember  ever  having 
deliberately  offended  the  Great  Spirit.' 

' '  I  have  never  discovered  the  least  vice  in  these  Indians, 
save  gambling,  in  which  they  often  risk  all  they  possess. 
These  games  have  been  abolished  by  general  consent, 
since  they  have  learned  that  they  are  contrary  to  the 
commandment  which  says  'Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy 
neighbor's  goods.'  They  are  scrupulously  honest  in  selling 
and  buying,  and  none  of  them  has  ever  been  accused  of 
stealing.  Every  article  that  is  found  is  carried  to  the  tent 
of  the  chief,  who  proclaims  the  object  and  returns  it  to  the 
owner. 

"Slander  is  unknown  among  the  women;  a  lie  is  con- 
sidered especially  odious.  'We  fear,'  they  say,  'to  offend 
the  Great  Spirit,  hence  we  hold  liars  in  abhorrence.' 

"All  quarrels  and  fits  of  passion  are  severely  punished. 
They  share  one  another's  sufferings,  give  help  in  time  of 
need,  and  care  for  the  orphans.  They  are  well-mannered, 
gay,  and  very  hospitable;  their  tent  is  open  house;  keys 
and  locks  are  unknown.  Often  I  said  to  myself  'These 
are  the  people  that  civilized  men  dare  to  call  barbarians!' 

"It  is  a  great  error  to  judge  the  Indians  of  the  interior 
by  those  of  the  frontier.  These  last  have  learned  the  vices 
of  the  white  men,  whose  insatiable  greed  of  gain  is  served 
by  corrupting  the  Indian,  and  whose  bad  example  leads 
him  into  vicious  habits."25 

Father  De  Smet  returned  to  the  Flatheads  in  Pierre's 
Hole  at  the  foot  of  the  three  Tetons.26  A  few  days  later 
they  broke  camp  and  started  north  by  slow  stages.     On 

25  Narrative  addressed  to  Francis  De  Smet. 

26  The  Teton  Mountains  are  the  most  interesting,  historically  and  other- 
wise, in  the  United  States.  The  principal  summit,  the  Grand  Teton,  is 
13,691  feet  high.     Cf.  Chittenden-Richardson,  p. 228. 


JOURNEY  TO  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS   m 

July  2 2d,  the  caravan  attained  the  ridge  which  separates 
the  watersheds  of  the  Missouri  from  those  of  the  Columbia 
River.  "I  climbed  a  high  mountain,"  writes  the  mission- 
ary, "in  order  to  more  accurately  measure  the  distance  of 
the  source  of  these  two  rivers.  I  saw  the  stream  descending 
from  dizzy  heights,  leaping  from  rock  to  rock  with  a 
deafening  noise.  The  two  large  streams  are  formed  at 
their  source,  with  scarcely  a  hundred  feet  between  them.  I 
wished  very  much  to  get  to  the  summit,  but  a  five-hour 
climb  had  exhausted  my  strength.  I  reached,  I  think, 
a  height  of  5,000  feet,  and  after  crossing  masses  of  snow 
twenty  feet  deep  I  yet  was  far  from  the  top. 

"Constrained  to  abandon  my  project,  I  seated  myself 
and  fell  to  thinking  about  the  Jesuit  Fathers  who  were 
serving  the  missions  on  the  Mississippi  from  Council 
Bluffs  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  happy  memories  these 
thoughts  awakened  moved  me  to  tears  of  joy.  I  thanked 
God  for  having  deigned  to  bless  the  work  of  His  servitors 
dispersed  in  this  vast  vineyard,  and  implored  this  grace 
for  all  the  nations  of  Oregon,  the  Flatheads  and  Pend 
d'Oreilles  in  particular,  these  last  who  had  just  enrolled 
themselves  under  the  banner  of  Jesus  Christ.  Then  I 
wrote  in  large  letters  upon  the  soft  surface  of  the  rock  the 
following  inscription:  SANCTUS  IGNATIUS  PA- 
TRONUS  MONTIUM.  DIE  JULII  23,  1840.  I  said 
a  Mass  of  thanksgiving  at  the  foot  of  this  mountain, 
surrounded  by  my  Indians,  who  chanted  canticles  of 
praise  to  God,  and  took  possession  of  the  country  in  the 
name  of  our  holy  founder."27 

The  following  day  the  travelers  marched  on  the  other 
side  of  the  mountain,  where  they  came  upon  a  succession 
of  smiling  valleys,  arid  plateaux,  steep  hills,  and  narrow 
passes.  The  end  of  July  found  Father  De  Smet  camped 
near  the  junction  of  the  three  sources  of  the  Missouri. 
Immense  herds  of  buffalo  roamed  over  the  plain,  and  the 
Flatheads,  profiting  by  this  occasion,  replenished  their 
food-supply. 

Father  De  Smet  shared  in  every  way  the  wandering  life 
of  his  Indians,  living  on  roots  and  what  game  could  be 
found.     His  bed  was  a  buffalo  hide,  and,  wrapped  in  a 

27  Narrative  addressed  to  Francis  De  Smet. 


ii2     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

blanket,  he  slept  under  the  stars ;  storms  and  tempests  he 
braved  in  a  small  tent.  For  four  months  he  suffered  from 
a  fever  which,  he  says:  "Seemed  loath  to  leave  me;  but 
the  hard  life  I  lead  finally  enabled  me  to  throw  it  off,  and 
since  September  I  am  in  perfect  health."28 

The  season  was  then  far  advanced,  and  the  missionary 
was  obliged  to  start  at  once  in  order  to  reach  St.  Louis 
before  the  winter  set  in. 

"I  decided  to  leave,"  he  tells  us,  "on  August  27th  [1840]. 
Early  in  the  morning  of  that  day  seventeen  warriors,  the 
pick  of  the  two  tribes,  came  with  three  chiefs  to  my  tent. 
The  old  men  in  council  had  selected  these  braves  to  act  as 
my  escort  through  the  country  of  the  Blackfeet  and  the 
Crows,  the  two  tribes  most  at  enmity  with  the  white  man. 
Long  before  sunrise  all  the  Flatheads  had  assembled  to 
say  good-by.  No  word  was  spoken,  but  sadness  was 
written  on  every  countenance.  The  only  thing  that  con- 
soled them  was  a  formal  promise  to  return  the  following 
spring,  with  a  reinforcement  of  missionaries.  Morning 
prayers  were  said  amid  the  tears  and  sobs  of  the  Indians, 
which  drew  tears  from  my  own  eyes,  although  I  endeavored 
to  control  my  emotions,  trying  to  make  them  understand 
that  my  departure  was  imperative.  I  exhorted  the  tribe 
to  serve  the  Great  Spirit  with  fervor,  and  to  avoid  anything 
that  might  give  scandal,  dwelling  once  more  upon  the 
principal  truths  of  our  holy  religion,  and  giving  them,  as 
spiritual  chief,  an  intelligent  Indian  I  had  myself  carefully 
instructed.  He  was  to  replace  me  during  my  absence. 
Night  and  morning  and  every  Sunday  they  were  to  recite 
prayers  in  common,  and  he  was  to  exhort  them  to  the 
practice  of  virtue.  I  authorized  my  deputy,  furthermore, 
to  privately  baptize  the  dying  and  infants  in  case  of  need. 
With  one  voice  they  promised  to  obey  all  my  injunctions. 

"With  tears  in  their  eyes  the  Indians  wished  me  a  good 
and  safe  journey.     Old  Big  Face  arose  and  said: 

"Black  Robe!  may  the  Great  Spirit  accompany  you  on 
your  long  and  dangerous  journey.  Morning  and  night 
we  will  pray  that  you  may  safely  reach  your  brothers  in 
St.  Louis,  and  we  will  continue  to  pray  thus  until  you 
return   to  your  children  of   the  mountains.     When   the 

28  To  Francis  De  Smet. 


JOURNEY  TO  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS    113. 

snows  of  winter  will  have  disappeared  from  the  valleys, 
and  when  the  first  green  of  spring  begins  to  appear,  our 
hearts,  which  now  are  so  sad,  will  once  more  rejoice. 
As  the  meadow  grass  grows  higher  and  higher,  we  will  go 
forth  to  meet  you.     Farewell,  Black  Robe,  farewell.'" 29 

While  the  Flatheads  were  returning  to  their  country  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Clarke,  Father  De  Smet,  escorted  by  the 
band  of  Indian  warriors  and  his  devoted  compatriot, 
traveled  in  the  direction  of  the  Yellowstone.  His  purpose 
was  to  follow  this  river  to  its  junction  with  the  Missouri, 
and  on  his  way  back  to  St.  Louis  to  visit  the  forts  estab- 
lished along  the  river,  where  he  might  possibly  find  a 
goodly  number  of  half-breed  children  needing  to  be 
baptized. 

For  days  they  traveled  through  endless  plains  and  arid 
wastes  intersected  with  deep  ravines,  where  at  every  step 
the  enemy  might  be  in  hiding.  Scouts  were  sent  out  in 
every  direction  to  reconnoiter,  and  at  night  what  seemed  to 
be  the  least  dangerous  spot  was  chosen  for  encampment. 
A  small  fort  hastily  constructed  with  trunks  of  trees  safe- 
guarded them  from  a  night  attack. 

The  caravan  soon  came  to  a  camp  of  the  Crows,  a  tribe 
allied  at  that  time  with  the  Flatheads,  and  was  received 
with^  great  cordiality.  The  tribe's  larder  being  well 
provisioned,  the  time  was  spent  in  feasting  and  rejoicing. 
Father  De  Smet  tells  us  that  in  one  afternoon  he  assisted 
at  twenty  successive  banquets.  "Scarcely  was  I  seated 
in  one  tent  before  I  was  invited  into  another  one.  My 
digestion  not  being  as  accommodating  as  that  of  the 
Indians,  I  contented  myself  with  only  tasting  their  stews, 
and  for  a  bit  of  tobacco,  the  eaters  I  had  taken  the  pre- 
caution to  include  in  my  followers  emptied  the  plates 
for  me."30 

When  about  to  enter  the  country  of  the  Blackfeet, 
Father  De  Smet,  fearing  to  expose  the  faithful  Flatheads, 
sent  back  his  escort.     Alone  now,  with  only  his  honest 

w  To  Francis  De  Smet. 

10  "The  law  of  the  feast  was  that  each  one  must  eat  all  that  was  given 
to  him;  however,  one  could  get  rid  of  his  plate  by  giving  it  to  another 
guest  with  a  present  of  tobacco."     (Narrative  cited.) 


ii4     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Fleming,  he  traveled  for  several  hundred  miles  through 
the  most  dangerous  country  any  explorer  has  ever  visited, 
a  trackless  land  in  which  his  compass  was  his  sole  guide. 
At  every  step  they  saw  recent  traces  of  the  grizzly  bear,  that 
terror  of  the  wilderness.  In  many  places  the  travelers 
came  upon  forts  that  had  been  constructed  by  warring 
tribes,  and  behind  which  the  enemy  might  be  hiding. 

"Upon  awakening  one  morning,"  writes  the  missionary, 
"I  saw,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  the  smoke  of  a  big 
fire,  which  turned  out  to  be  the  camp  of  a  party  of  savages. 
Being  separated  from  them  by  only  a  point  of  rock,  we 
hurriedly  saddled  our  horses  and  galloped  off.  That  day 
we  made  about  fifty  miles  without  stopping,  arriving  at 
camp  two  hours  after  sunset.  Fearing  the  savages  had 
seen  our  trail  and  might  pursue  us,  we  dared  not  light  a 
fire,  and  went  to  bed  supperless.  I  rolled  myself  in  my 
blanket,  lay  down  on  the  grass,  and  recommended  my 
soul  to  God.  My  brave  grenadier  soon  began  to  snore 
like  a  steam-engine  under  way,  sounding  all  the  notes  of 
the  gamut  and  ending  in  a  deep  sigh  which  harmonized 
with  the  prelude,  while  I  tossed  from  one  side  to  the  other 
and  spent  a  sleepless  night. 

"The  next  morning  at  daybreak  we  were  off.  Toward 
noon,  another  alarm.  A  buffalo  had  been  killed  scarcely 
two  hours  before  at  the  place  we  were  then  passing;  his 
tongue,  marrow  bones,  and  several  other  tidbits  had 
been  taken  out.  Providence  provided  us  with  a  supper  of 
what  was  left.  We  traveled  in  an  opposite  direction 
from  the  Indian  tracks,  and  the  following  night  camped  in 
the  midst  of  some  rocks,  once  the  lair  of  panthers  and 
wolves.  There,  I  slept  well,  undisturbed  by  my  com- 
panion's music."31 

Every  day,  in  fact  every  hour,  the  travelers  beheld  signs 
of  the  near  presence  of  the  dreaded  Blackfeet.  "Such 
solitude,  with  its  horrors  and  dangers,  has  one  great  ad- 
vantage; man  is  face  to  face  with  death  and  realizes  how 
completely  he  is  in  the  hands  of  God.  Hence,  it  is  no 
great  thing  to  make  to  God  the  sacrifice  of  a  life  that 
belongs  less  to  one's  self  than  to  the'  first  savage  who 
wishes  to  take  it.     In  the  face  of  danger  one  prays  more 

31  To  Francis  De  Smet. 


JOURNEY  TO  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS   115 

fervently,  and  when  saved  makes  better  resolutions.  In 
the  desert  I  made  the  best  retreat  of  my  whole  life."32 

At  last  they  reached  the  Missouri,  at  a  place  where 
one  hour  before  the  enemy  had  passed.  Father  De  Smet 
recounted  to  one  of  the  chiefs  the  dangers  he  had  run  in 
the  Yellowstone.  "The  Great  Spirit  has  His  manitous," 
said  the  Indian,  "which  He  sent  to  accompany  you  and  put 
to  flight  the  enemy  that  would  do  you  harm."  Could 
any  Christian  have  translated  better  the  verse  of  the 
Psalm:  Angelus  suis  mandavit  de  te,  ut  custodiant  te  in 
omnibus  mis  tuis?zz 

The  travelers  remained  several  days  at  Fort  Union  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  the  most  important  post 
the  Fur  Company  possessed  upon  the  Missouri.  Father 
De  Smet  baptized  several  half-breed  children  there,  and 
on  September  23d  set  out  again,  accompanied  by  the 
traders  who  were  en  route  to  the  Aricaras.  Three  days 
later  the  travelers  reached  the  camps  of  the  Mandans. 
At  the  approach  of  strangers,  the  Mandans  and  the  Gros- 
ventres  rushed  out  prepared  to  make  trouble,  but  when 
they  caught  sight  of  the  minister  of  the  Great  Spirit, 
demonstrations  of  friendship  quickly  followed  their  threats 
of  death.  In  every  tent  or  lodge  the  pots  were  filled  with 
good  things.  Like  their  neighbors,  the  Crows,  they 
wished  to  feast  the  new  arrivals.  A  series  of  invitations 
to  dine  followed,  and  the  feasting  was  kept  up  until  mid- 
night. 

The  three  merchants  remained  at  Fort  Clarke.  Fort 
Pierre  was  a  ten  days'  journey  farther  on.  Father  De 
Smet,  failing  a  guide,  started  off  with  only  John  Baptiste 
De  Velder  and  a  Canadian  traveling  in  the  same  direction. 
"But,"  says  he,  "one  gradually  accustoms  one's  self  to 
brave  every  danger.  Confident  in  God's  protection,  we 
continued  our  way  across  the  sands  of  the  plains,  guided 
by  our  compass,  like  mariners  upon  a  vast  ocean. 

"The  fifth  day  found  us  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Sioux  Blackfeet,  an  offshoot  of  the  Blackfeet  of  the 
mountains.  Their  very  name  struck  terror  into  our 
hearts.  We  crept  through  ravines  to  be  out  of  range  of 
the  piercing  eye  of  the  Indian  that  ever  searches  the  plain. 

32  To  Francis  De  Smet.  33  Ps.  xc.  1 1. 


n6     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

"Toward  noon  a  near-by  spring  invited  us  to  rest  and 
make  our  midday  repast.  We  were  congratulating  our- 
selves upon  having  escaped  the  dreaded  enemy,  when  sud- 
denly a  war-cry,  accompanied  by  deafening  noises,  sounded 
from  the  direction  overlooking  our  hiding-place.  A  band  of 
Blackfeet  that  had  been  following  our  tracks  for  several 
hours,  armed  with  guns,  bows  and  arrows,  half-naked, 
weirdly  daubed  with  color,  descended  upon  us  at  full 
gallop. 

"I  immediately  rose  and  extended  my  hand  to  the  one 
who  appeared  to  be  chief  of  the  band.  'Why  are  you 
hiding  in  a  ravine?'  he  said,  'Are  you  afraid  of  us?'  'We 
were  hungry,'  I  replied,  'and  the  spring  tempted  us  to 
take  a  few  moments'  rest.'  The  chief  eyed  me  from  head 
to  foot.  My  cassock  and  the  crucifix  I  wore  on  my  breast 
excited  his  curiosity.  Then  addressing  the  Canadian, 
who  spoke  a  little  Sioux,  he  said:  'Never  before  in  my 
life  have  I  seen  this  kind  of  a  man.  Who  is  he,  and  where 
does  he  come  from?'  Given  such  an  opportunity,  the 
Canadian  was  not  backward  in  according  titles.  'This 
man,'  he  replied,  'converses  with  the  Great  Spirit.  He  is 
the  French  Black  RobeZi  and  is  come  here  to  visit  the 
different  Indian  tribes.' 

"At  these  words  the  savage  softened,  commanded  his 
warriors  to  lay  down  their  arms,  and  each  one  gave  me  his 
hand.  I  made  them  a  present  of  a  large  package  of  to- 
bacco, and  immediately  the  warriors  seated  themselves  in 
a  circle  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace  and  friendship. 

"The  chief  then  invited  me  to  come  and  spend  the  night 
in  his  village.  Twelve  warriors  laid  an  immense  buffalo 
hide  on  the  ground  before  me.  The  chief  took  me  by  the 
arm  and,  conducting  me  to  the  hide,  bade  me  sit  down. 
Understanding  nothing  of  the  ceremony,  I  seated  myself, 
and  imagine  my  surprise  when  I  saw  the  twelve  Indians 
seize  this  would-be  carpet  by  its  extremities,  lift  me  from 
the  ground,  and,  preceded  by  the  chief,  carry  me  in  triumph 
to  the  village. 

"In  an  instant  every  one  was  out  to  see  the  Black  Robe. 

34  The  missionaries  who  until  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  evangelized 
North  America  were  all  French;  hence  the  title  French  Black  Rober 
given  to  them  by  the  Indians. 


JOURNEY  TO  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS  117 

I  was  given  the  place  of  honor  in  the  chief's  tent,  who,  sur- 
rounded by  forty  of  his  braves,  addressed  me  in  the  fol- 
lowing words:  'Black  Robe,  this  is  the  happiest  day  of 
our  lives,  for  to-day,  for  the  first  time,  we  see  in  our  midst 
a  man  who  is  near  to  the  Great  Spirit.  These  are  the 
principal  warriors  of  my  tribe.  I  have  invited  them  to  the 
feast  I  have  prepared  for  you,  that  they  may  never  forget 
the  great  day."'35 

It  seems  strange  that  with  the  savages  the  fact  of  being 
a  Catholic  priest  merited  a  triumphal  reception  for  the 
lowly  missionary,  while  in  other  times,  and  to  men  proud 
of  their  civilization,  he  would  have  been  the  object  of 
suspicion.  During  the  repast  the  great  chief  showered 
attentions  on  his  guest,  even  to  giving  him  a  mouthful  of 
his  own  food  to  chew,  a  refined  usage  among  his  tribe. 

At  night,  after  the  missionary  had  retired  and  was  about 
to  fall  asleep,  he  saw  the  chief  who  had  received  him  with 
so  much  honor,  enter  his  tent.  Brandishing  a  knife  that 
gleamed  in  the  light  of  the  torch,  he  said:  "Black  Robe, 
are  you  afraid?"  The  missionary,  taking  the  chief's  hand, 
placed  it  on  his  breast  and  replied :  ' '  See  if  my  heart  beats 
more  rapidly  than  usual!  Why  should  I  be  afraid?  You 
have  fed  me  with  your  own  hands,  and  I  am  as  safe  in 
your  tent  as  I  would  be  in  my  father's  house."  Flattered 
by  this  reply,  the  Blackfoot  renewed  his  professions  of 
friendship;  he  had  wished  only  to  test  the  confidence  of  his 
guest. 

The  next  day  Father  De  Smet  continued  his  journey. 
The  great  chief  gave  him  three  Indians  to  accompany  him 
to  Fort  Pierre;  among  them  was  his  own  son,  whom  he 
begged  the  priest  to  instruct.  "I  want  to  know,"  he  said, 
"the  words  the  Great  Spirit  has  communicated  to  us 
through  you." 

From  Fort  Pierre  the  missionary  went  down  to  Fort 
Vermillion,  where  a  bitter  sorrow  awaited  him.  The  Sioux 
had  violated  the  peace  concluded  the  year  before  with  the 
Potawatomies.  A  band  of  warriors  had  returned  to  camp 
bearing  a  scalp.  Father  De  Smet  at  once  called  a  council  of 
the  tribe,  reproached  the  chiefs  for  breaking  their  word, 
menacing  them  with  terrible  reprisals  if  they  did  not  at 

35  To  Francis  De  Smet. 


n8     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  SJ. 

once  repair  the  injury  done.  Thoroughly  frightened,  the 
Sioux  entreated  him  to  be  once  more  their  interpreter,  and 
to  assure  the  Potawatomies  that  they  were  resolved  to 
forever  bury  the  hatchet. 

Happy  to  be  the  bearer  of  a  message  of  peace  to  his 
neophytes,  Father  De  Smet  wished  to  start  at  once. 
His  horse  was  exhausted,  so  with  a  half-breed  Iroquois  he 
started  in  a  canoe.  It  was  then  the  middle  of  November. 
The  Missouri  was  filled  with  floating  ice,  which  continually 
jammed  the  frail  skiff  against  snags.  Five  times  the 
travelers  nearly  perished.  The  nights  were  spent  on  sand- 
bars with  no  nourishment  save  frozen  sweet-potatoes  and 
a  little  fresh  meat.  At  last,  after  traveling  ten  days,  they 
reached  Council  Bluffs.  The  following  night  the  river 
froze  over. 

Fathers  Verreydt  and  Hoecken  were  the  first  priests 
Father  De  Smet  had  seen  since  he  left  St.  Louis.  "You 
can  readily  imagine  my  joy  in  finding  myself  safe  and  sound 
in  the  midst  of  my  fellow-priests  after  a  journey  of  two 
thousand  leagues,  through  every  conceivable  danger,  and 
among  barbarous  tribes."  In  the  name  of  the  Sioux  he 
renewed  peace  with  his  beloved  Potawatomies.  But  he 
could  not  tear  himself  away  from  his  dear  Indians  and  only 
at  the  end  of  three  weeks  did  he  set  out  to  finish  his  journey 
to  St.  Louis,  arriving  there  New  Year's  Eve.  His  journey 
had  lasted  nine  months.36 

36  It  is  very  probable  that  John  Baptiste  De  Velder  accompanied  Father 
De  Smet  to  St.  Louis,  but  from  that  time  on  his  name  no  longer  appears 
in  the  missionary's  narratives. 


CHAPTER  VII 

SECOND  JOURNEY  TO  THE  MOUNTAINS — ST.   MARY'S  MISSION 

(1841-1842) 

Pather  De  Smet  Returns  to  the  Mountains  with  Fathers  Point  and  Mengar- 
ini— Difficulties  of  the  Journey — A  Cyclone  on  the  Platte — Hail, 
Majestic  Rock!— Arrival  at  Fort  Hall— The  Bitter  Root  River- 
Founding  of  St.  Mary's  Mission— A  New  Paraguay— The  First  Bap- 
tisms—Solemnization of  Marriages— The  Blessed  Virgin  Appears  to  a 
Child— The  Order  of  the  Day  at  the  Mission — Fervor  of  the  New 
Christians  — The  Winter  Hunt— The  First  Communion— Death  of 
Big  Face. 

GATHER  DE  SMET  had  promised  the  Flatheads  to 
A  return  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  bring  with  him 
new  missionaries,  but  lack  of  funds  again  stood  in  the 
way  of  realizing  this  project,  the  Fathers  not  having  suf- 
ficient means  to  defray  even  one-half  the  expense  of  the 
expedition.  And  how  did  our  resourceful  missionary  meet 
this  situation?  "The  thought,"  he  writes,  "that  the  un- 
dertaking was  doomed  to  failure,  and  that  I  could  not 
keep  the  promise  I  had  made  to  the  poor  Indians,  occa- 
sioned me  keen  sorrow  and  regret.  But  I  had  been  the 
recipient  of  direct  help  from  on  high  too  often  to  allow 
myself  in  this  instance  to  yield  to  discouragement.  My 
confidence  in  God  remained  unshaken."1 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  St.  Louis,  Father  De  Smet 
circulated  thousands  of  pamphlets  recounting  his  life  and 
experiences  among  the  Indians.  Being  thus  informed  of 
the  admirable  dispositions  of  the  Indian  tribes,  the  Catho- 
lics east  of  the  Mississippi  generously  contributed  to  es- 
tablish a  mission  promising  such  abundant  fruits. 

Father  De  Smet  started  off  on  his  begging  expedition  in 
midwinter,  going  first  to  Louisiana.  "I  marvel  at  the 
ways  of  Providence  in  choosing  me  as  the  means  of  ac- 

1  Letter  to  the  editor  of  the  Catholic  Herald,  May  1,  1841. 


i2o     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

-complishing  His  designs.  My  fondest  hopes  have  been 
more  than  realized,  for  notwithstanding  the  critical  financial 
condition  actually  existing  in  the  United  States,  I  col- 
lected $1,100  in  New  Orleans.  Women  brought  me  their 
jewels;  even  the  slaves  contributed  their  mite."2 

Fathers  Point  and  Mengarini  and  three  lay  Brothers 
were  appointed  to  the  mission,  and  returned  with  Father 
De  Smet  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  Superior's  choice  of  men  proved  a  very  happy  one. 
Nicholas  Point,  born  of  humble  parents  at  Rocroi,  in  the 
French  Ardennes  in  1799,  early  in  life  manifested  great 
piety  and  love  of  work.  Marshal  Ney  offered  to  adopt 
the  lad  and  give  him  a  career  in  life;  but  the  youth  had 
other  aims  in  view.  The  lives  of  the  Saints,  particularly  the 
life  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  revealed  to  him  a  higher  and 
greater  glory  than  that  of  arms,  and  he  determined  to 
become  a  missionary.  Entering  the  novitiate  of  Mont- 
rouge,  it  was  not  long  before  he  was  appointed  prefect 
of  studies,  filling  that  office  first  at  St.  Acheul,  and  after- 
ward at  Fribourg.  In  1835  Father  Point  came  to  America 
and  founded  a  college  at  Grand  Coteau,  which  he  left 
three  years  later  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

In  1838  the  Louisiana  Mission  in  charge  of  the  French 
Jesuits  was  attached  to  the  Missouri  Mission,  Father 
Verhaegen  remaining  Superior  with  the  title  of  Vice- 
Provincial.  Profiting  by  this  circumstance  (the  union  of 
the  two  missions) ,  Father  Point  begged  to  be  allowed  to  go 
with  Father  De  Smet  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.3 

Father  Gregory  Mengarini  was  born  in  Rome  on  the 
feast  of  St.  Ignatius  Loyola,  July  31,  1811.  In  1828  he 
entered  the  Society  of  Jesus  and  made  his  course  in  theology 
at  the  Roman  College.  One  day  in  the  refectory  he  heard 
read  a  letter  from  Bishop  Rosati,  pleading  the  cause  of  the 
Indians.  That  letter  was,  for  Mengarini,  the  call  of  God. 
Immediately  after  his  ordination  he  started  for  the  missions. 
A  man  of  tried  virtue  and  gentle  nature;  a  skilful  physician, 
a  musician  of  no  mean  order,  and  a  remarkable  linguist, 
such  was  the  new  missionary  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.4 

*  Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  April  27,  1 841. 

3  See  notice  of  Father  Nicholas  Point  in  The  Woodstock  Letters,  1882, 
p.  299.  *  Cf.  The  Woodstock  Letters,  1887,  p.  93. 


SECOND  JOURNEY  TO  THE  MOUNTAINS  121 

The  lay  Brothers,  not  less  than  the  Fathers,  rendered 
valuable  services  to  the  mission,  Brother  William  Claessens 
filling  the  office  of  carpenter,  Brother  Specht  that  of  black- 
smith, and  Charles  Huet,  general-utility  man  and  "Jack- 
of-all-trades."5  Besides  the  Fathers  and  lay  Brothers, 
Father  De  Smet  engaged  three  laborers,  who  under  the 
direction  of  the  Brothers  were  to  undertake  the  hard 
work  of  the  mission. 

The  missionaries  set  out  on  their  journey  April  24,  1841, 
and  at  Westport  joined  a  party  of  sixty  travelers,  many 
of  them  bound  for  California  in  search  of  gold.  "The 
caravan,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "was  composed  of  a 
curious  collection  of  individuals,  every  country  in  Europe 
being  represented:  in  my  little  band  of  eleven  were  men 
of  eight  different  nationalities."6 

Several  days  were  spent  in  loading  the  wagons  and 
mules  before  the  caravan  could  start.  "I  hope,"  writes 
the  missionary,  "that  the  journey  will  end  well;  it  has 
begun  badly.  One  of  our  wagons  was  burned  on  the 
steamboat;  a  horse  ran  away  and  was  never  found;  a 
second  fell  ill,  which  I  was  obliged  to  exchange  for  another 
at  a  loss.  Some  of  the  mules  took  fright  and  ran  off, 
leaving  their  wagons;  others,  with  the  wagons,  have  been 
stalled  in  the  mud.  We  have  faced  perilous  situations  in 
crossing  steep  declivities,  deep  ravines,  marshes,  and  rivers."7 

The  missionaries,  as  in  the  preceding  year,  followed  the 
Nebraska  River  until  reaching  the  first  spurs  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  The  immensity  of  that  river  and  its  verdant, 
graceful  banks,  in  cheerful  contrast  to  the  lugubrious 
desert,  compelled  Father  De  Smet's  admiration.  "One 
feels  himself  transported  to  the  dawn  of  creation,  when 
the  world  came  forth  from  the  hands  of  its  Maker." 

But  every  now  and  then  a  destructive  cyclone  would 
devastate  these  enchanted  shores. 

"One  day  when  the  wind  was  spending  its  fury,  we 
witnessed  at  a  short  distance  from  us  a  marvelous  spectacle. 
A  huge,   whirling,   funnel-shaped  cloud  appeared  in  the 

5  Brother  Claessens  of  Beerendrecht  in  the  province  of  Antwerp,  Brother 
Specht  of  Alsace,  and  Brother  Huet  of  Courtrai. 

6  Letter  to  Father  Verhaegen,  from  the  banks  of  the  Platte,  June  2,  1 841. 

7  Letter  to  Father  Elet,  from  Soldier  River,  May  16,  1841. 

9 


122     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

heavens,  tearing  through  the  air  with  a  deafening  noise, 
carrying  with  it  every  object  in  its  path ;  while  clouds  lying 
beyond  the  influence  of  the  wind  massed  and  whirled  in 
an  opposite  direction.  Had  we  been  in  the  track  of  the 
cyclone  the  whole  caravan  would  have  been  swept  into 
nothingness.  But  the  Almighty  said  to  the  winds,  as  to 
the  waves,  so  far  and  no  further. 

"Above  us,  we  saw  the  storm  retreating  majestically  to 
the  north,  finally  spending  its  force  in  the  bed  of  the 
Platte.  Then  occurred  another  upheaval  of  nature:  in 
an  instant  the  river  was  lashed  into  a  foaming  torrent, 
from  which  the  water  rose  in  the  form  of  a  vast  horn  of 
plenty,  its  sinuous  movements  resembling  a  serpent  rising 
on  its  tail;  trees  were  uprooted  and  the  land  laid  waste. 
Such  violence,  however,  soon  spends  itself.  Shortly  all 
was  over;  the  waterspout  fell  of  its  own  weight  as  rapidly 
as  it  had  risen;  the  sun  came  out,  nature's  forces  calmed, 
and  we  continued  our  journey."8 

Upon  nearing  the  source  of  the  great  river,  the  travelers 
found  more  somber  vegetation,  rugged  hills,  and  moun- 
tains towering  into  the  clouds.  Behind  those  summits 
dwelt  the  tribes  destined  soon  to  hear  the  word  of  God. 
Our  missionary,  uplifted  by  this  thought,  became  a  poet, 
expressing  his  rapture  in  the  following  hj^mn: 

"Oh,  no!     It  is  no  shadow  vain 
That  greets  my  sight — yon  lofty  chain 
That  pierces  the  eternal  blue, 
The  Rocky  Mounts  appear  in  view. 

"I've  seen  the  spotless  virgin  snow, 
Glistening  like  gems  upon  their  brow, 
And  o'er  yon  giant  peak  now  streams 
The  golden  light  of  day's  first  beams. 

"All  hail,  majestic  Rock!    the  home 
Where  many  a  wanderer  yet  shall  come; 
Where  God  Himself  from  His  own  heart, 
Shall  health  and  peace  and  joy  impart. 

"Father  and  God!     How  far  above 
All  human  thought  Thy  wondrous  love; 
How  strange  the  paths  by  which  Thy  hand 
Would  lead  the  tribes  of  this  bleak  land, 
Prom  darkness,  crime,  and  misery, 
To  live  and  reign  in  bliss  with  Thee!" 

8  Letter  to  Father  Verhaegen,  Sweetwater  River,  July  14,  1841. 


SECOND  JOURNEY  TO  THE  MOUNTAINS  123 

After  resting  two  days  on  the  shores  of  the  Green  River, 
the  caravan  started  again  in  the  direction  of  Fort  Hall, 
situated  on  Snake  River  and  north  of  Salt  Lake. 

"The  crossing  of  a  river,  with  a  retinue  such  as  ours, 
was  no  small  affair.  Commending  ourselves  to  God,  we 
ordered  the  drivers  to  whip  up  the  mules;  the  animals 
tugged  and  strained  valiantly  and  gained  the  other  bank. 
Our  train  of  wagons  then  worked  its  way  through  a  laby- 
rinth of  valleys  and  mountains,  opening,  as  we  went,  a 
trail  in  the  depth  of  a  ravine,  or  through  dense  brush  on 
the  slope  of  a  steep  rock.  At  this  juncture  the  mules 
were  taken  out  and  hitched  abreast,  then  every  man's 
shoulder  went  to  the  wheels,  and  every  inch  of  rope  was 
requisitioned  to  steady  the  convoy  on  the  edge  of  the 
chasm,  or  keep  it  from  a  too  rapid  descent !  Yet  all  these 
precautions  did  not  save  us  from  many  tumbles.  Our 
Brothers,  forced  by  circumstances  to  take  the  reins,  would 
often  find  themselves,  one  on  a  mule's  neck,  another  on  his 
hind  quarters,  and  a  third  under  the  fore  feet  of  the 
animal,  not  knowing  how  they  got  there,  and  each  time 
thanking  God  for  a  miraculous  escape. 

"Those  on  horseback  were  accorded  the  same  divine 
protection.  During  the  journey  Father  Mengarini  was 
six  times  thrown  from  his  horse,  Father  Point  almost  as 
often,  and  once  in  full  gallop  I  was  pitched  over  my  horse's 
head;   yet  none  of  us  had  so  much  as  a  scratch."9 

At  Fort  Hall  on  the  feast  of  the  Assumption  they  met  the 
advance-guard  of  the  Flatheads,  who  had  traveled  over 
three  hundred  miles  to  come  and  meet  the  Black  Robes. 
Among  them  was  Young  Ignatius,  Father  De  Smet's  guide 
of  the  previous  year.  Ignatius  had  been  running  for  four 
days  without  food  or  drink  in  order  to  be  the  first  to  salute 
the  missionaries. 

Simon,  the  oldest  member  of  the  tribe,  was  also  in  the 
advance-guard.  Although  so  worn  with  age  that  even 
when  seated  he  leaned  upon  a  cane  for  support,  the  ardor 
of  his  youth  revived  upon  hearing  of  the  approach  of  the 
Black  Robes.  "My  children,"  said  he,  as  he  mounted  his 
horse,  "I  am  one  of  you;    if  I  succumb  on  the  way  our 

9  Letter  to  Father  Verhaegen,  Fort  Hall,  Aug.  16,  1841. 


i24     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Fathers  will  know  in  what  cause  I  die."  During  the 
journey  he  was  often  heard  to  say :  ' '  Courage,  my  children, 
remember  we  go  to  meet  the  Black  Robes!"  Then  lashing 
their  steeds  and  following  their  intrepid  leader,  the  caval- 
cade covered  fifty  miles  a  day. 

Father  De  Smet's  heart  rejoiced  when  he  found  that 
the  year's  interval  had  in  no  way  diminished  the  fervor 
of  the  Flatheads.  The  greater  number,  even  old  men  and 
little  children,  knew  by  heart  the  prayers  he  had  taught 
them.  Twice  on  week-days,  and  three  times  on  Sundays, 
during  his  absence  had  the  tribe  assembled  to  say  prayers 
in  common.  The  box  containing  vestments,  and  the 
altar  service  left  in  their  charge  the  preceding  year,  were 
carried  on  high  like  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  each  time  the 
camp  moved. 

Many  of  those  baptized  died  saintly  deaths.  A  girl 
twelve  years  of  age  exclaimed  at  the  moment  of  death: 
"How  beautiful!  How  beautiful!  I  see  the  heavens 
opening  and  the  Mother  of  God  is  calling  me  to  come!" 
Then  turning  to  those  about  her  she  said:  "Heed  what 
the  Black  Robes  tell  you,  for  they  speak  the  truth;  they 
will  come  and  in  this  place  erect  a  house  of  prayer." 

Enemies  of  Catholicism  vainly  endeavored  to  sow  dis- 
sension and  distrust,  by  insinuating  that  the  missionaries 
had  no  intention  of  returning.  "You  are  mistaken,"  re- 
plied Big  Face.  "I  know  our  Father;  his  tongue  does  not 
lie.     He  said,  'I  will  return,'  and  return  he  will." 

The  missionaries  left  the  caravan  three  days  after  their 
arrival  at  Fort  Hall,  going  north  to  the  Flathead  encamp- 
ment. One  of  the  braves  sent  Father  De  Smet  his  finest 
horse,  with  strict  orders  that  no  one  should  mount  the 
steed  before  it  was  presented  to  the  Black  Robe. 

On  August  30th,  four  months  after  their  departure  from 
St.  Louis,  the  missionaries  arrived  at  their  destination. 
"As  we  approached  the  camp  we  saw  one  courier  after 
another  advancing.  A  gigantic  Indian  then  appeared, 
coming  toward  us  at  full  gallop.  Cries  of  'Paul!  Paul!' 
were  heard,  and  it  was  in  fact  Paul  [Big  Face],  so  named  in 
baptism  the  year  before.  They  thought  him  absent  from 
the  camp,  but  he  had  just  returned,  wishing  himself  to 
present  us  to  his  people.     Toward  nightfall  an  affecting 


SECOND  JOURNEY  TO  THE  MOUNTAINS  125 

scene  took  place.  The  neophytes — men,  women,  young 
men,  and  children  in  arms — struggled  with  one  another  to 
be  the  first  to  shake  hands  with  us;  our  hearts  were  too 
full  for  utterance.     It  was  a  great  day."10 

Upon  his  first  visit  to  the  Flatheads,  Father  De  Smet  had 
urged  them  to  look  about  for  a  fertile  tract  of  land  where 
the  tribe  could  settle.  They  lived,  principally,  upon  the 
fruits  of  the  chase;  hence,  it  was  neither  feasible  nor 
possible  to  suppress  this  means  of  subsistence  until  agri- 
cultural development  could  replace  it.  Nor  did  Father 
De  Smet  expect  to  transform  instantly  a  wandering  tribe 
into  a  sedentary  people.  Hunting,  for  some  time  to  come, 
would  have  to  remain  their  principal  means  of  subsistence, 
but,  instead  of  encampments  continually  following  in  the 
wake  of  the  roaming  buffalo,  their  movable  lodges  would  be 
transformed  into  fixed  abodes,  where,  after  the  day's 
hunt,  the  men  could  join  their  families  and  experience  the 
softening  influence  of  home  life.  The  Indian  thus  would 
be  drawn  from  idleness;  he  would  learn  economy,  and 
unconsciously  acquire  the  habits  of  civilization. 

The  proposition  was  enthusiastically  received.  The 
Flatheads  chose  a  suitable  site  which  the  missionaries  went 
to  inspect,  at  the  source  of  the  Clarke  River,  and  beyond 
a  barren  territory.  In  traversing  these  arid  wastes,  the 
Indians  and  missionaries  lived  on  fish  for  eight  days; 
but  the  horses  suffered  for  want  of  food,  not  a  blade  of 
grass  being  found  on  that  desolate  soil.  After  twice 
crossing  the  ridge  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  caravan 
at  last  entered  the  valley  destined  to  be  the  home  of  this 
wandering  tribe,  and  pitched  their  tents  a  few  miles  south 
of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Missoula,*  between  Stevens- 
ville  and  Fort  Owen.  The  Bitter  Root  River,  which  further 
on  becomes  the  Clarke,  watered  this  extraordinarily  fertile 
region.  The  richness  of  the  soil,  the  beauty  of  the  situa- 
tion, and  the  proximity  of  other  tribes  decided  the  mis- 
sionaries to  make  this  place  the  seat  of  the  mission. 

It  was  September  24th,  the  feast  of  Our  Lady  of  Mercy, 

10  Letter  to  the  Father  General,  Madison  Fort,  Aug.  15,  1842. 

*  Translator's  Note:  On  the  main  line  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad, 
not  far  from  the  town  of  Missoula,  Montana,  one  may  catch  a  passing 
glimpse  of  a  small  way-station  painted  red  and  bearing  the  sign  "  De  Smet," 
a  sorry  monument  to  the  memory  of  so  intrepid  a  pioneer. 


126    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

and  that  same  day  Father  De  Smet  erected  a  cross  in  the 
center  of  the  camp.  "I  should  have  liked  all  who  are 
zealous  Christians  to  be  present  at  this  ceremony:  it 
was  a  moving  spectacle  to  see  the  Flatheads,  from  the  chief 
to  the  youngest  child,  come  to  press  their  lips  reverently 
upon  the  emblem  of  our  salvation,  and  swear  upon  their 
knees  to  die  a  thousand  deaths  rather  than  abandon  their 
religion."11 

The  solemn  inauguration  of  the  mission  took  place  the 
first  Sunday  in  October,  the  feast  of  Our  Lady  of  the 
Rosary.  The  mission  was  placed  under  the  patronage  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  and  called  St.  Mary's  Mission.  It  was 
a  solemn  moment!  The  marvels  of  the  primitive  Church 
were  about  to  be  renewed  in  those  mountains.  The  mis- 
sionaries sank  on  their  knees,  imploring  the  help  of  heaven. 
"What  can  we  do,"  they  asked  themselves,  "to  fulfil  our 
vocation?"  being  fully  convinced  that  God  had  especially 
chosen  them  for  the  conversion  of  an  entire  people. 

The  plan  of  evangelization  adopted  by  these  intrepid 
apostles  merits  more  than  a  passing  mention.  We  find  it 
outlined  in  a  letter  which  Father  De  Smet  wrote  to  his 
Superior,  Father  Verhaegen.12 

' '  The  little  nation  of  the  Flatheads  appear  to  us  to  be  a 
chosen  people,  out  of  which  a  model  tribe  can  be  made; 
they  will  be  the  kernel  of  a  Christianity  that  even  Paraguay 
could  not  surpass  in  fervor.13 

"We  have  greater  resources  for  obtaining  such  results 
than  had  the  Spanish  Fathers.  Remoteness  from  corrupt 
influences;  the  Indian's  aversion  to  the  other  sects;  his 
horror  of  idolatry;   his  liking  for  the  white  man,  and  for 

11  To  the  Father  General,  Madison  Fork,  Aug.  15,  1842. 

12  St.  Mary  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  Oct.  26,  1841. 

13  The  celebrated  Reductions  of  Paraguay  were  founded  upon  the  right 
bank  of  the  Parana  River  at  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Spanish 
Jesuits  converted  the  natives,  and  taught  them  to  till  the  soil.  It  was  a 
sort  of  theocratic  state  comprising  thirty-two  cities  inhabited  by  relatively 
40,000  families.  In  1767  the  Jesuits  were  driven  out  of  the  Spanish  posses- 
sion and  the  destruction  of  the  reductions  followed.  (Cf.  "  Histoire  du 
Paraguay,"  by  Father  De  Charlevoix,  3  Vols,  in  4,  Paris,  1756.) 

Translator's  Note:  The  employment  of  the  word  "reduction"  in  con- 
veying the  idea  of  systematized  settlement  has  sprung  from  the  use  of  the 
word  as  constantly  applied  to  the  groups  or  colonies  above  referred  to  in 
the  historical  records  of  the  Jesuit  Missions. 


ST.  MARY'S  MISSION  127 

the  Black  Robe  in  particular,  whose  name  for  him  is 
synonymous  with  goodness,  learning,  and  piety;  the 
central  position  of  the  mission;  sufficient  land  for  several 
settlements ;  fertile  soil ;  the  protection  of  high  mountains ; 
no  meddlesome  and  petty  authority  conflicting  with  that  of 
God  and  those  who  represent  Him  upon  earth;  no  tribute 
to  pay  but  our  prayers;  such  are  the  advantages  our  mis- 
sion enjoys.  Furthermore,  the  Indians  are  convinced  that 
without  religion  there  is  no  happiness  either  in  this  life 
or  in  the  world  to  come." 

Father  De  Smet  was  of  the  opinion  that  they  could  not 
do  better  than  model  their  mission  upon  the  celebrated 
reductions  of  Paraguay.  "The  end  those  Fathers  had  in 
view,  and  the  means  employed  to  attain  that  end,  were 
approved  by  the  highest  authority.  Furthermore,  the 
results  obtained  called  forth  the  admiration  even  of  our 
enemies." 

After  a  careful  study  of  the  Muratori 14  Relation, 
Father  De  Smet  believed  he  could  develop  in  the  neophytes 
the  following  virtues: 

"First,  with  regard  to  God:  A  simple,  firm,  lively  faith  in 
the  practices  and  precepts  of  religion.  A  profound  respect 
for  the  only  true  religion  and  all  that  relates  to  it.  Tender 
devotion  and  respect  for  the  Virgin  Mary  and  the  saints. 
Desire  of  conversion  of  others.  Fortitude  in  trials  and 
suffering. 

"With  regard  to  one's  neighbor:  Respect  for  authority, 
for  the  aged,  and  respect  for  parents.  Justice,  charity, 
and  generosity  to  all  men. 

"With  regard  to  one's  self:  Humility,  modesty,  discre- 
tion, gentleness,  pure  living,  and  love  of  work." 

But  to  attain  this  ideal,  the  Indians  would  have  to  be 
kept  away  from  all  bad  influences.  "Here  in  this  place 
we  are  far  removed  from  the  corruption  of  the  times,  and 
from  all  that  the  Gospel  implies  in  the  term  'the  world.' 
A  great  advantage  we  must  safeguard,  by  a  strict  surveil- 
lance over  all  intercourse  between  the  Indians  and  white 
men,  extending  our  watchfulness  even  to  the  workmen 
we  employ." 

14  An  account  of  the  Missions  of  Paraguay,  translated  from  the  Italian, 
Paris,  1754. 


i28     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

In  order  to  preserve  the  language  of  the  neophytes,  the 
missionaries  taught  them  in  their  mother  tongue.  The 
curriculum  of  the  mission  comprised  reading,  writing, 
arithmetic,  and  singing.  "A  more  advanced  course  of 
teaching,  it  seems  to  me,  would  be  prejudicial  to  the  sim- 
plicity of  these  excellent  Indians."  Exceptions  were  made 
only  in  favor  of  those  who  promised  to  labor  for  the  propa- 
gation of  the  faith. 

"Father  Point,  our  architect,  has  already  drawn  plans 
for  the  village,  in  the  center  of  which  will  stand  a  church 
one  hundred  feet  long  and  fifty  feet  front,  with  the  priests' 
house  and  school  adjoining.  Around  this  central  point  will 
be  grouped  the  dwelling-houses,  workshops,  stores,  and 
other  buildings  of  common  utility,  the  farming  land  be- 
ginning on  the  outskirts  of  the  village." 

Religious  exercises,  singing,  music,  instructions,  cate- 
chism, administration  of  the  Sacraments,  in  fact  the  divi- 
sion of  labor  and  the  general  organization  of  the  congrega- 
tion, conformed  as  closely  as  possible  to  the  regulations  of 
the  Paraguay  Mission.  "Such,"  says  Father  De  Smet, 
"are  the  rules  we  have  drawn  up  for  our  community. 
We  now  await  their  approval  or  amendment  by  those  who 
have  God's  interests  at  heart,  and  who  by  virtue  of  their 
position  of  authority  receive  graces  that  enable  them  to 
keep  alive  in  us  the  true  spirit  of  the  Society  of  Jesus." 

Hardly  had  the  missionaries  arrived  at  their  destination, 
when  they  began  the  work  of  construction.  Every  man 
became  a  laborer.  The  Flatheads  cut  thousands  of 
stakes  in  the  forest  and  fenced  in  their  property.  The 
priests'  house  and  farm-house  rose  as  by  enchantment. 
In  less  than  five  weeks  a  temporary  church  with  "pedi- 
ment, colonnade,  balustrade,  choir,  seats,  etc.,"  was  erected 
in  the  exact  spot  designated  by  the  young  Indian  girl  of 
whose  happy  death  we  have  spoken:  "The  Black  Robes 
will  come  to  this  spot  and  will  build  a  house  of  prayer." 

On  the  feast  of  St.  Martin  the  catechumens  assembled 
and  instructions  preparatory  to  the  reception  of  baptism 
were  begun.  A  number  of  neophytes  were  to  receive  the 
Sacrament  on  December  3d,  the  feast  of  St.  Francis  Xavier, 
but  a  series  of  unfortunate  happenings  seemed  to  conspire 


ST.  MARY'S  MISSION  129 

to  interfere  with  the  ceremony.  The  interpreter  and  the 
sacristan  fell  ill;  the  organ,  through  some  unforeseen  ac- 
cident, got  out  of  order;  a  hurricane  swept  over  the  valley, 
uprooting  trees,  carrying  away  three  tents,  and  breaking 
the  church  windows.  Happily,  however,  on  the  evening 
of  December  2d  the  storm  ceased. 

The  Indians  were  lost  in  wonder  and  admiration  when 
they  beheld  the  decorations  and  arrangements  of  the 
sanctuary.  "Festoons  of  green  covered  the  walls.  Above 
the  altar,  artistically  draped,  the  holy  name  of  Jesus  stood 
out  in  relief  upon  a  background  of  blue  sky.  A  statue  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  stood  at  the  end  of  the  choir;  an  image 
of  the  Sacred  Heart  adorned  the  door  of  the  tabernacle. 
The  flaming  torches,  the  silence  of  the  night,  and  the 
approach  of  dawn — all  this  moved  the  hearts  and  minds 
of  the  Indians  already  touched  by  grace,  and  nowhere,  I 
think,  could  be  found  a  similar  gathering  of  elect  souls."15 

What  a  joy  indeed  for  the  missionaries,  this  offering  to 
St.  Francis  Xavier,  on  his  feast,  the  spectacle  of  two 
hundred  men  and  women  just  emerging  from  barbarism, 
replying  intelligently  to  their  catechism  questions,  and 
praying  with  great  fervor  while  receiving  the  Sacrament  of 
Baptism;  then  retiring  to  their  places,  each  carrying  a 
lighted  candle.  Being  obliged  at  times  to  speak  through  an 
interpreter,  the  missionaries  were  in  the  church  from  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  until  ten  o'clock  at  night,  taking 
only  one  hour  for  dinner. 

The  following  day  was  devoted  to  legalizing  marriages. 
This  occasion  proved  the  neophytes  to  be  profoundly  im- 
bued with  the  spirit  of  Christianity.  Up  to  the  present 
time  many  of  the  Indians  had  lived  in  complete  ignorance 
of  the  unity  and  indissolubility  of  the  marriage-bond;  but 
now  having  learned  to  love  God  above  all  things,  they 
generously  made  Him  the  sacrifice  of  their  affections — the 
women  rivaling  the  men  in  heroism.  "I  love  you  dearly," 
said  one  woman  to  her  husband,  a  prey  to  hesitation  and 
indecision,  "and  I  know  you  love  me;  but  you  also  love 
another.  I  am  old,  she  is  young.  Leave  the  children 
with  me  and  remain  with  her.  In  so  doing  we  will  please 
God,  and  all  will  receive  baptism." 

15  Letter  to  Father  Verhaegen,  Dec.  30,  1841. 


i3o    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Father  De  Smet,  at  that  time,  was  absent  from  the 
mission.16  He  returned  December  8th  and  began  at  once 
the  preparation  of  those  who  had  not  yet  received  baptism. 
Besides  lessons  in  catechism  taught  by  the  other  Fathers, 
Father  De  Smet  gave  three  instructions  daily  to  the  cate- 
chumens, who  learned  so  quickly,  and  showed  such  ad- 
mirable dispositions,  that  on  Christmas  day  he  admin- 
istered baptism  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  souls,  and  per- 
formed thirty- two  marriages. 

"I  began  the  day  by  saying  Mass  at  seven  o'clock,  and 
at  five  in  the  afternoon  I  was  still  in  the  chapel.  The 
emotions  my  heart  then  experienced  are  but  poorly  ex- 
pressed in  words. 

"The  next  day  I  sang  a  solemn  High  Mass  in  thanks- 
giving for  the  favors  God  had  showered  upon  His  people. 
Between  six  and  seven  hundred  converts,  counting  the 
children  baptized  the  previous  year,  assembled  in  the 
heart  of  the  wilds,  where  until  now  the  name  of  God  was 
unknown,  offering  the  Creator  their  regenerated  hearts 
and  promising  fidelity  to  Him  until  death.  Such  devotion 
must  be  very  pleasing  in  God's  sight  and  will  assuredly 
call  down  blessings  upon  the  Flatheads  and  the  neighboring 
tribes."17 

The  Blessed  Virgin  now  deigned  to  manifest  in  a  striking 
manner  how  pleasing  to  her  was  the  simple  faith  and  inno- 
cence of  her  new  children.  Shortly  after  midnight  Mass 
on  Christmas  eve,  the  Mother  of  God  appeared  in  the 
tent  of  a  poor  woman  to  a  little  orphan  named  Paul. 
"His  exemplary  childhood,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "his 
piety  and  candor,  and  the  account  he  gave  of  the  appari- 
tion, preclude  all  doubt  of  the  truth  of  his  statement. 
The  following  is  what  he  told  me  in  his  own  words:  'Upon 
entering  John's  tent,  where  I  went  to  ask  help  with  the 
prayers  I  do  not  yet  know,  I  saw  a  wonderfully  beautiful 
person  raised  above  the  ground,  clad  in  raiment  white  as 
snow,  a  star  upon  her  brow  and  a  serpent  at  her  feet; 
in  her  hand  she  held  a  fruit  I  have  never  seen  before,18 

16  See  following  chapter,  his  journey  to  Fort  Colville. 

17  To  Father  Verhaegen,  Dec.  30,  1841. 

18  Would  it  be  temerity  to  see  in  this  apparition  an  anticipated  declaration 
of  the  dogma  of  the  Immaculate  Conception? 


ST.  MARY'S  MISSION  131 

and  from  her  heart  rays  of  light  radiated  toward  me.  I 
was  frightened  at  first;  then  fear  vanished,  my  heart  was 
warm,  my  mind  clear,  and  although  I  cannot  say  how  it 
happened,  suddenly  I  knew  my  prayers.'  The  child  then 
told  me  the  same  beautiful  person  had  appeared  to  him 
many  times  in  his  sleep,  and  that  she  told  him  that  it 
would  please  her  if  the  first  Flathead  village  would  be 
called  St.  Mary. 

"The  boy  had  never  seen  nor  heard  tell  of  visions,  nor 
did  he  even  know  whether  the  apparition  was  a  man  or 
woman,  as  the  clothes  were  unfamiliar  to  him.  Questioned 
by  several  others,  he  gave  the  identical  description  of  all 
that  had  happened.  The  child  grew  in  virtue  and  was 
the  angel  of  the  tribe."19 

One  can  imagine  Father  De  Smet's  joy  and  thankfulness 
when  he  could  write  his  Provincial  on  December  30th: 
"The  whole  Flathead  nation  has  been  converted,  and 
baptism  administered  to  many  Kalispels,  Nez  Percys, 
Cceur  d'Alenes,  Snakes,  and  Kootenais:  other  tribes  are 
asking  for  us,  and  a  vast  country  only  awaits  the  arrival 
of  the  missionary  to  range  itself  under  the  banner  of 
Jesus  Christ.  This,  Reverend  Father,  is  the  gift  we 
offer  you  at  the  close  of  the  year  1841." 

The  newly-born  mission  became  in  three  months  a 
flourishing  Christian  colony,  and  as  it  was  essential  to 
keep  up,  through  regular  religious  practices,  the  good  dis- 
positions of  the  Indians,  a  rule  of  life  was  outlined  and 
strictly  adhered  to.  The  Angelus  gave  the  signal  for  rising 
in  the  morning;  half  an  hour  later  morning  prayers  were 
said  in  common,  then  followed  Mass  and  instruction. 

Everything  was  done  to  render  these  exercises  attractive 
to  the  Indians.  Father  Point,  gifted  with  remarkable 
talent  for  drawing,  made  highly-colored  pictures  of  the 
mysteries  of  our  religion,  the  history  of  God's  people,  and 
the  life  of  Jesus  Christ ;  the  full,  melodious  voice  of  Father 
Mengarini  intoning  hymns  which  told  of  the  happiness  of 
a  Christian  life  and  the  joys  of  eternity,  moved  the  Indians' 

19  Letter  to  the  Father  General,  Aug.  15,  1842.  Father  Point  relates 
the  same  facts  in  almost  the  same  words.  (Recollections  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains in  The  Woodstock  Letters,  1883,  p.  140.) 


i32     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

hearts  to  thankfulness  for  the  graces  God  had  poured 
forth  upon  their  tribe. 

The  sick  were  visited  in  the  morning,  the  Fathers  ad- 
ministering remedies  and  comforting  the  sufferers  with 
words  of  encouragement  and  counsel.  Catechism  was 
taught  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  children  being 
divided  into  two  categories,  according  to  age  and  the 
amount  of  instruction  already  received.  The  missionaries 
adopted  the  method  of  teaching  and  awarding  of  prizes 
in  use  in  the  Christian  Brothers'  schools.  Night-prayers 
were  said  at  sundown,  followed  by  an  hour's  instruction. 

The  time  spent  in  church  seemed  all  too  short  to  the 
Indians:  "After  prayers  said  in  common,"  writes  Father 
De  Smet,  "the  Indians  prayed  and  sang  hymns  in  their 
homes;  these  pious  exercises  were  prolonged  often  far  into 
the  night,  and  if  awakening  during  the  night  they  began 
again  to  pray."20  On  Sunday  the  religious  exercises  were 
protracted  and  more  numerous,  but  the  Fathers  knew  that 
these  humble  souls  found  happiness  in  speaking  to  their 
celestial  Father,  and  that  no  place  was  so  attractive  to  them 
as  the  house  of  God.  "Sunday,  the  day  of  rest,  was 
religiously  observed,  and  even  before  the  coming  of  the 
missionaries  a  timid  deer  could  have  stayed  among  the 
people  in  perfect  safety,  even  when  the  Indians  were  starv- 
ing for  food.  To  shoot  an  arrow  from  his  bow  on  Sunday 
was  as  great  an  enormity  in  the  eyes  of  the  Indian  as  gather- 
ing wood  was  to  the  Jews.  But,  as  the  former  has  a  better 
understanding  of  the  law  of  grace,  he  is  less  slave  to  the 
letter  which  kills,  although  no  less  faithful  to  the  spirit."21 

In  dealing  with  such  Christians,  one  could  ask  more  of 
them  than  the  ordinary  practices  of  religion,  hence  a  few 
months  after  the  founding  of  the  mission,  pious  associations 
were  formed.  The  inhabitants  of  the  village  were  divided 
into  four  groups,  each  group  having  its  separate  rules,  its 
officers,  and  its  meeting-days. 

The  congregation  of  men  was  called  the  Society  of  the 
Sacred  Heart.     The  Prefect,  an  Indian  called  Victor,  was, 

10  To  the  Carmelites  of  Termonde,  Oct.  28,  1841. 

11  See  in  the  accounts  of  St.  Mary's  Mission  the  interesting  Memoires  of 
Father  Mengarini,  published  in  The  Woodstock  Letters,  November,  1888, 
February  and  June,  1889. 


ST.  MARY'S  MISSION  133 

after  the  death  of  Big  Face,  raised  to  the  dignity  of  chief. 
In  the  opinion  of  all,  "he  had  the  best  head  and  the 
kindest  heart  in  the  village."  His  wife,  Agnes,  was  elected 
President  of  the  Society  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  His  son 
became  President  of  the  Young  Men's  Society,  and  his 
daughter  acted  in  the  same  capacity  for  the  young  girls. 

Grace  working  in  the  souls  of  the  new  converts  moved 
them  to  perform  acts  of  heroic  virtue.  Peter,  chief  of  the 
Pend  d'Oreilles,22  having  on  one  occasion  to  defend  his 
family  from  the  attacks  of  a  Blackfoot  outlaw,  afterward 
threw  himself  on  his  knees  and  prayed  for  his  enemy. 
"Great  Spirit,"  he  prayed,  "You  know  why  I  killed  the 
Blackfoot.  It  was  not  revenge;  it  was  necessary  to  make 
an  example  of  this  man,  that  others  of  his  tribe  may  take 
warning.  I  entreat  You  to  be  merciful  to  him  in  the  other 
life.  We  willingly  pardon  him  the  evil  he  wished  to  do 
11s,  and  to  prove  that  I  speak  the  truth,  I  will  cover  him 
with  my  cloak." 

What  a  victory  over  self,  in  a  man  whose  supreme  joy, 
before  his  conversion,  had  been  to  revenge  himself  upon 
his  enemy  with  all  the  refinements  of  cruelty! 

Twice  a  year  some  of  the  Flatheads  left  the  village  to 
hunt  buffalo.  Not  wishing  to  leave  before  receiving  bap- 
tism, the  Indians  remained  at  St.  Mary's  as  long  as  a  morsel 
of  food  was  left  to  eat,  and  even  the  dogs,  driven  by  famine, 
devoured  the  leather  straps  which  tethered  the  horses  at 
night.  The  departure  for  the  winter's  hunt  took  place 
December  29th,  and  the  expedition  prepared  for  an  ab- 
sence of  several  months.  Father  Point  accompanied  the 
wTandering  camp,  not  wishing  to  leave  a  part  of  the  tribe 
so  long  without  spiritual  help,  and  because  his  presence 
would  prevent  the  disorders  the  hunt  usually  occasioned. 

The  winter  was  a  severe  one.  It  snowed  without  inter- 
ruption for  three  months.  Many  of  the  Indians  were 
attacked  by  snow-blindness,  and  during  a  terrific  storm 
Father  Point  nearly  succumbed.  Had  not  some  hunters 
quickly  lighted  a  fire  when  they  saw  him  turn  a  ghastly 
pallor,  he  would  have  died  of  cold.  The  crowning  trial 
was  that  they  saw  no  buffalo. 

22  This  chief  was  the  celebrated  Walking  Bear,  baptized  the  year  before. 


i34     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

But  neither  cold,  nor  wind,  nor  snow,  nor  famine,  pre- 
vented the  Flatheads  from  accomplishing  their  spiritual 
devotions.  Night  and  morning  the  camp  assembled  in 
and  around  the  missionary's  tent,  the  greater  number 
having  no  shelter  but  the  sky  above  them.  Nevertheless, 
they  were  most  attentive  to  the  sermon,  and  sang  the 
hymns  which  preceded  and  followed  the  prayers.  At 
daybreak  and  at  sunset  a  bell  summoned  the  hunters  to 
recite  the  Angelus.     Sunday  was  strictly  kept. 

Such  fidelity  touched  the  heart  of  God,  as  we  shall  see 
from  notes  taken  from  Father  Point's  diary. 

"February  6th:  To-day  is  Sunday.  Strong  wind,  gray 
sky,  bitter  cold ;  no  hay  for  the  horses ;  the  buffalo  driven 
off  by  the  Nez  Perces. 

"February  fth:  The  cold  more  piercing,  the  aridity  of  the 
plain  increases,  the  snow  a  great  hindrance.  Notwith- 
standing yesterday,  the  day  of  rest  was  sanctified,  to-day 
perfect  resignation.     Courage!     confidence! 

"Toward  midday  we  reached  the  summit  of  a  high 
mountain.  What  a  transformation!  The  sun  was  shin- 
ing and  the  cold  less  penetrating.  We  saw  an  immense 
plain  before  us,  good  pasturage,  and  herds  of  buffalo. 
The  expedition  halted,  the  hunters  assembled  and  set  off 
for  the  chase.  Before  sunset  one  hundred  and  fifty-three 
buffaloes  fell  to  their  bag.  If  this  find  of  buffaloes  was  not 
a  miracle,  it  resembled  greatly  the  miraculous  draft  of  fish. 
In  God's  name  Peter  cast  his  net  and  brought  to  shore 
one  hundred  and  fifty-three  fish.  Confident  in  the  power 
of  God  and  in  His  name  the  Flatheads  brought  down  one 
hundred  and  fifty- three  buffaloes." 

Several  Pend  d'Oreilles  joined  the  Flatheads.  Despite 
the  difficulties  of  a  nomad's  life  and  the  rigors  of  the  season, 
Father  Point  found  means  to  instruct  and  baptize  a  number 
of  Indians.  At  the  approach  of  Easter  the  hunters  re- 
turned to  St.  Mary's,  and  on  Holy  Saturday  the  whole  tribe 
assembled  in  the  mission  church  to  sing  the  Regina  coeli. 

The  time  was  now  come  to  prepare  the  neophytes  for 
their  first  communion.  The  faith  and  piety  that  charac- 
terized their  reception  of  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism  was 
evident  in  the  same  degree  in  their  preparation  for  the 


ST.  MARY'S  MISSION  135 

other  two  Sacraments.  When  told  about  confession,  some 
wished  it  to  be  public.  The  impenetrable  mystery  of  the 
Holy  Eucharist  they  accepted  without  question:  "Yes, 
Father,  we  believe  truly  and  sincerely." 

The  feast  of  Pentecost  was  chosen  for  the  great  cele- 
bration. In  order  to  give  greater  solemnity  to  the  occa- 
sion a  procession  was  formed;  the  missionaries,  wearing 
surplices  and  preceded  by  a  crucifix-bearer,  marched  ahead 
of  the  neophytes.  Silently,  in  a  spirit  of  recollection,  they 
entered  the  church.  The  sanctity  of  the  spot,  the  clouds 
of  incense,  and  the  singing  of  the  hymns,  moved  the 
hearts  of  the  neophytes,  awakening  within  them  emotions 
they  had  never  felt  before.  As  the  moment  of  the  conse- 
cration and  communion  approached,  the  poor  savages, 
kneeling,  with  bowed  heads,  adored  and  thanked  their 
God.  He  whom  they  had  learned  to  love  and  whom  their 
fathers  had  so  long  desired,  had  become  the  Guest  of  their 
transfigured  souls ! 

In  the  spring  of  1842  a  succession  of  touching  feasts 
took  place.  The  Rocky  Mountains  witnessed  for  the  first 
time  the  month  of  May  devotions,  the  celebration  of  the 
feast  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  and  the  procession  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament.  The  fervor  of  the  Indians  was  such  that 
numbers  were  permitted  to  receive  holy  communion  fre- 
quently. "There  are  entire  families,"  writes  Father  De 
Smet,  "who  approach  the  holy  table  every  Sunday.  Often 
we  hear  twenty  consecutive  confessions  without  finding 
matter  for  absolution."23 

The  old  chief  Big  Face  was  no  longer  witness  of  these 
wonders.  He  died  during  that  same  winter,  after  having, 
at  ninety  years  of  age,  made  his  first  communion. 

"Have  you  no  sins  to  repent  of  since  your  baptism?" 
asked  the  missionary. 

"Sins?"  he  replied,  astounded.  "How  could  I  com- 
mit sins  when  it  is  my  duty  to  teach  others  to  live  well?" 

He  was  buried  wrapped  in  the  flag  he  waved  every 
Sunday  to  announce  the  Lord's  Day.  He  also  could  chant 
his  Nunc  Dimittis,  for  he  had  lived  to  see  his  tribe  a  Chris- 
tian people,  practicing,  in  the  heart  of  the  desert,  the 
highest  Christian  virtues. 

23  Letter  to  the  Father  General,  Aug.  15,  1842. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

JOURNEYS  TO  FORT   COLVILLE   AND    FORT   VANCOUVER — THE 

KALISPELS    AND    THE    CGEUR    D'ALENES FATHER 

BLANCHET    (1841-1842) 

The  Privations  of  the  Missionaries— Father  De  Smet  Goes  to  Fort  Colville 
to  Get  Provisions — The  Kalispels — Baptism  of  Some  Old  Indians — 
Messis  qiiidem  Multa,  Operarii  Autem  Pauci— First  Attempt  at  Farming 
at  St.  Mary's — Journey  to  Fort  Vancouver — The  Coeur  d'Alenes — 
Father  De  Smet  Sees  Five  of  His  Companions  Drowned  in  the  Columbia 
— Oregon  in  1840— Fathers  Blanchet  and  Demers— A  Mission  Must 
Be  Opened  at  Willamette — Father  De  Smet's  Return  to  St.  Louis — 
On  His  Way  Back  He  is  Received  by  the  Crows— Dominus  Memor 
Full  Nostri,  et  Benedixit  Nobis. 

ONE  month  after  his  arrival  at  St.  Mary's,  Father  De 
Smet  was  obliged  to  leave  his  fellow-missionaries  to 
go  to  Fort  Colville  on  the  Columbia  River,  about  three 
hundred  miles  northwest  of  the  mission.  The  journey 
was  undertaken  with  two  objects  in  view: 

First,  the  needs  of  the  colony,  which  was  in  dire  poverty. 
Brother  Specht  was  clothed  in  a  garment  made  of  animal 
skins,  and  one  of  the  Fathers  had  been  obliged  to  transform 
an  Indian  blanket  into  a  cassock.  Moreover,  provisions 
for  the  winter,  seeds  for  the  spring  crops,  tools,  agricultural 
implements,  beeves,  cows,  in  a  word  all  that  was  needed  for 
the  establishment  of  a  "reduction,"  had  to  be  purchased. 

The  second  object  of  his  journey  was  to  visit  the  Kalispels 
(a  tribe  allied  to  the  Pend  d'Oreilles)  who  camped  in  the 
autumn  on  the  borders  of  the  Clarke  River.1 

Father  De  Smet  had  left  St.  Mary's  October  28th,  es- 
corted by  ten  Flathead  warriors.  On  the  feast  of  All 
Saints  he  reached  the  principal  camp  of  the  Kalispels, 

1  The  Kalispels  were  also  called  the  Pend  d'Oreilles  of  the  Bay  to  dis- 
tinguish them  from  the  Pend  d'Oreilles  of  the  Mountains,  who  had  been 
visited  by  Father  De  Smet  when  he  visited  the  Flatheads. 


JOURNEY  TO  FORT  COLVILLE  137 

where  he  was  enthusiastically  received;  and  what  was  his 
surprise  that  evening  to  hear  them  recite  night  prayers, 
and  to  learn  that  this  tribe  was  in  a  way  converted  before 
ever  having  seen  a  missionary! 

The  mystery  was  soon  solved.  Having  heard  the  pre- 
vious year  of  the  arrival  of  a  Black  Robe  in  the  mountains, 
the  Kalispels  sent  an  intelligent  young  Indian,  possessing 
an  excellent  memory,  to  visit  the  Flatheads.  In  their 
camp  he  learned  the  prayers,  the  hymns,  and  the  great 
truths  of  our  religion,  and  upon  his  return  was  made  the 
apostle  of  the  tribe.  His  instructions  were  handed  on 
from  one  lodge  to  the  other,  and  before  the  winter  was 
over,  more  than  half  the  tribe  was  Christian. 

Overjoyed  at  the  admirable  attitude  of  these  people, 
Father  De  Smet  at  once  baptized  the  children  and  the 
sick  of  the  tribe,  and  when  taking  leave  of  the  Kalispels 
he  promised  to  send  a  priest  who  would  remain  with  them. 

His  journey  along  the  banks  of  the  Clarke  brought  him 
to  a  gigantic  chain  of  rocks.  "I  have  been  in  many  bad 
places,"  he  writes,  "but  never  before  have  I  encountered 
such  difficulties  as  this  pass  presented.  Impossible  to 
cross  it  on  horseback,  on  foot  it  was  equally  out  of  the 
question,  as  I  should  have  been  exhausted  before  getting 
over."  He  then  had  recourse  to  an  expedient  that  recalled 
the  adventures  of  his  youth.  "Remembering  I  had  in  my 
caravan  a  gentle  and  staid  old  mule,  I  proceeded  to  take 
hold  of  its  tail,  and  held  on  tight.  Urged  on  by  cries  and 
the  generous  use  of  the  whip,  it  patiently  dragged  me  to  the 
summit.  For  the  descent  I  changed  my  position  and 
hung  on  to  the  reins.  The  animal,  descending  step  by 
step,  landed  me  safely  on  the  other  side."2 

The  next  day  he  entered  a  vast  forest  of  pines  and  cedars, 
through  which  he  traveled  for  three  days.  "This  forest," 
writes  the  missionary,  "is  a  marvel  of  its  kind.  The 
Indians  tell  me  it  is  the  finest  forest  in  Oregon.  It  would, 
in  fact,  be  difficult  to  find  elsewhere  such  gigantic  trees. 
The  cedar  towers  majestically  in  a  wilderness  of  birch, 
alder,  and  beech.  I  measured  one  forty-two  feet  in  cir- 
cumference;   another  fallen  cedar  lay  two  hundred  feet 

2  Letter  to  one  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  St.  Mary's,  Dec. 
S,  1841. 
10 


138     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

along  the  ground.  The  branches  of  these  colossi,  inter- 
laced above  the  birch  and  beech  trees,  form  a  canopy  so 
dense  that  the  sun's  rays  never  reach  the  moss  and  lichen- 
covered  earth.  A  thousand  trunks  rising  like  so  many 
columns  to  a  green  dome  form  a  temple  erected  by  nature 
to  the  glory  of  its  Creator."3 

Upon  emerging  from  the  forest  one  catches  sight  of 
Kalispel  Lake  with  its  islands  and  pine-trees,  its  sloping 
shores,  its  horizon  of  hills,  one  above  the  other,  reaching 
up  to  summits  of  eternal  snow. 

For  the  missionary,  however,  the  most  entrancingly  beau- 
tiful view  is  as  nothing  compared  to  the  joy  of  gaining  a 
soul  for  God.  ' '  One  day,  from  the  declivity  of  a  hill  upon 
which  I  was  standing,  I  saw  upon  the  river-bank  a  little 
log  hut.  I  called  several  times — no  reply.  Feeling  drawn 
to  visit  the  hut,  I  descended,  accompanied  by  an  inter- 
preter. We  found  there  a  poor  old  woman,  very  ill,  and 
blind.  I  spoke  to  her  about  the  Great  Spirit,  of  what  one 
must  do  to  obtain  salvation,  of  baptism,  etc.  The  apostle 
St.  Philip  tells  us  that  there  are  cases  in  which  all  the 
necessary  dispositions  are  found  in  an  act  of  faith  and  a 
sincere  desire  to  know  truth.  The  poor  woman's  replies 
breathed  respect  and  love  of  God.  'Yes,'  said  she,  'I  love 
God  with  all  my  heart.  During  my  whole  life  He  has 
cared  for  me.  I  wish  to  be  His  child  and  belong  to  Him 
forever.'  The  poor  creature  then  fell  on  her  knees  and 
begged  for  baptism.  I  administered  the  Sacrament,  giving 
her  the  name  of  Mary,  and  hung  a  medal  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  around  her  neck.  When  leaving  her  hut  and  even 
at  some  distance  away,  I  still  heard  her  thanking  God  for 
this  inestimable  favor. 

"Hardly  had  I  regained  the  small  mountain  path  when 
I  met  the  woman's  husband.  Bent  under  the  weight  of 
years  and  infirmity,  the  wretched  man  could  scarcely 
drag  himself  along.  He  was  in  the  forest  setting  a  deer- 
trap  when  my  men  told  him  of  my  coming.  The  poor 
Indian  hurried  as  best  he  could,  and  catching  sight  of  me, 
cried  out  from  afar  in  a  trembling  voice :  '  What  happiness 
to  see  our  Father  before  I  die!     The  Great  Spirit  is  good. 

3  Letter  to  one  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  St.  Mary's,  Dec. 
8,  1841. 


JOURNEY  TO  FORT  COLVILLE  139 

I  am  now  at  peace!'  The  good  man  shook  my  hand 
effusively,  repeating  again  and  again  the  same  words.  I 
told  him  I  had  visited  his  hut  and  baptized  his  wife. 

"'I  heard  of  your  arrival  last  year  in  the  mountains,' 
he  said,  'and  that  you  had  baptized  many  people  there. 
I  am  old  and  poor;  I  never  hoped  to  have  the  joy  of  seeing 
you.  Black  Robe,  give  me  the  happiness  you  have  just 
given  my  wife.  I  also  wish  to  belong  to  God,  and  will 
love  Him  forever.' 

"I  baptized  the  Indian  in  a  torrent  near-by,  giving  him 
the  name  of  Simon.  Continuing  on  my  way,  I  heard  him 
repeating,  'Oh!  how  good  God  is!  I  thank  you,  Black 
Robe,  for  the  happiness  you  have  procured  me.  My  heart 
is  at  peace !  Yes,  I  will  love  God  always.  How  good  God 
is !  How  good  God  is ! '  In  that  moment  not  for  a  kingdom 
would  I  have  changed  places  with  any  one  on  earth.  Such 
a  meeting  is,  of  itself,  worth  a  journey  to  the  mountains." 

A  little  farther  on  another  consolation  awaited  Father 
De  Smet.  He  discovered  in  a  miserably  poor  hut  five 
old  Kalispel  Indians  over  eighty  years  of  age.  Three  of 
them  were  blind,  the  other  two  had  only  one  eye.  They 
were  pictures  of  human  misery.  "I  spoke  to  them,"  he 
tells  us,  "of  the  necessity  of  salvation  and  the  happiness 
of  the  future  life.  Their  replies  moved  me  to  tears.  All 
five  of  them,  from  different  corners  of  the  hut,  cried  out : 
'O  God!  What  happiness  has  come  to  us  in  our  old  age! 
We  love  You,  Lord!  and  will  continue  to  love  You  until 
death !'  When  I  explained  the  necessity  of  baptism,  they 
fell  upon  their  knees  to  receive  the  Sacrament." 

In  order  to  awaken  apostolic  zeal  in  the  souls  of  his  fellow- 
priests  Father  De  Smet  addressed  them  in  burning  words 
that  recall  St.  Francis  Xavier's  impassioned  outpourings : 

"Oh!  good  and  beloved  Fathers  in  Europe,  in  God's 
name  I  conjure  you  to  come  without  delay  to  labor  in  this 
vineyard!  The  harvest  is  ripe  and  plentiful.  The  eager- 
ness of  these  tribes  to  hear  the  Word  of  God  is  almost 
beyond  belief.  From  every  direction,  and  I  mean  by  that, 
from  great  distances,  they  come,  asking  me  to  baptize  their 
children.  Many  have  followed  me  for  a  whole  day,  with 
the  sole  object  of  listening  to  the  instructions.  Every- 
where I  go,  the  old  people  beg  for  baptism.     My  heart 


i4o     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

aches  at  the  thought  of  so  many  souls  left  to  perish  for 
lack  of  priests  to  instruct  them.  Of  this  place  one  can 
truly  say:  Messis  quidem  multa,  operarii  autem  pauci.* 
Does  there  exist  in  the  Society  of  Jesus  a  priest  whose  heart 
would  not  kindle  with  zeal  at  these  words?  Does  a 
Christian  exist  who  would  refuse  to  contribute  to  such  work 
as  that  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith? 

"  Certainly .  the  life  of  a  missionary  has  its  trials  and 
dangers;  yet,  however  great  these  may  be,  he  guards  the 
serenity  of  his  soul  by  centering  his  mind  upon  God. 
The  desert  is  immense  and  the  journey  across  it  monoto- 
nous. The  howling  of  the  wolves,  the  grunting  of  the  bear, 
and  the  screams  of  the  wildcat  and  panther  are  heard,  but 
only  in  the  distance,  for  these  wild  beasts  flee  at  the  sight 
of  man.  Providence  has  provided  admirably  for  the  needs 
of  those  who  inhabit  the  wilderness;  buffalo,  deer,  gazelle, 
roebuck,  bighorn,  and  elk  roam  here  in  thousands.  Yet 
a  fast  of  a  day  or  two — I  speak  from  experience — gives 
zest  to  appetite.  Should  a  storm  keep  one  awake,  one 
sleeps  better  the  following  night.  The  sight  of  the  enemy 
lying  in  wait  to  take  one's  life  teaches  more  confidence 
in  God;  teaches  one  to  pray  well,  and  to  keep  his  account 
with  God  in  order;  but  an  abiding  and  grateful  joy  suc- 
ceeds these  disquieting  moments,  and  I  hope  yet  to  learn 
what  it  is  to  suffer  for  the  sweet  name  of  Jesus.  Here,  in  all 
its  force,  one  experiences  the  truth  of  those  divine  words: 
Jugum  meum  suave  est,  et  onus  meuni  leve."5 

On  November  14th,  Father  De  Smet  arrived  at  Fort 
Colville,  the  property  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Fur  Company. 
The  commander,  a  Scotchman,  welcomed  the  missionary, 
and  furnished  him  with  all  the  cattle  he  wanted,  also 
foodstuffs  and  seeds.  Furthermore,  he  added  to  the  sup- 
plies (unknown  to  Father  De  Smet)  a  number  of  delicacies, 
such  as  sugar,  coffee,  tea,  chocolate,  butter,  crackers,  flour, 
poultry,  etc.  Four  days  later  Father  De  Smet  set  out 
upon  his  return  journey  to  the  Bitter  Root.6    He  arrived 

4  "The  harvest  indeed  is  great,  but  the  laborers  are  few." — (Matt,  ix,  37.) 
6  "My  yoke  is  sweet  and  My  burden  light."     (Matt,  xi,  30.)     Letter 
cited. 

6  An  amusing  incident  happened  which  convinced  our  missionary  that 
daughters  of  Eve  exist  in  every  latitude.  "We  had  left  five  bales  of  dried 
meat  with  the  Pend  d'Oreilles.    Finding  but  two  upon  my  return,  I  enquired 


JOURNEY  TO  FORT  VANCOUVER    141 

at  St.  Mary's  on  the  feast  of  the  Immaculate  Conception, 
December  8th,  and  was  received  with  cheers  and  acclama- 
tions of  joy  by  his  dear  Flatheads.  He  had  been  absent 
forty-two  days,  and  during  his  journey  had  baptized 
one  hundred  and  ninety  souls  and  preached  the  Gospel 
to  over  two  thousand  Indians. 

The  missionary  brought  back  from  Fort  Colville  several 
bushels  of  oats,  wheat,  and  potatoes  for  planting.  Brother 
Claessens  had  already  plowed  an  enclosed  piece  of  land 
adjoining  the  mission,  and  in  the  spring  he  sowed  the 
seeds  and  planted  the  potatoes. 

The  Indians,  filled  with  wonder  at  this  proceeding, 
thought  it  folly  to  plow  and  destroy  grass  that  fed  their 
horses  and  to  bury  seeds  that  were  good  to  eat.  In  vain 
Brother  Claessens  assured  them  the  seeds  would  rot  in  the 
ground  and  produce  a  hundredfold.  No  one  believed  him. 
When  things  began  to  sprout  in  the  spring  the  Flatheads 
remained  whole  days  at  a  time  perched  upon  the  fence  to 
see  if  what  was  told  them  would  come  true.  Shouts  of  joy 
greeted  the  first  blades  that  appeared  above  the  ground. 
Before  long  the  ears  formed  upon  the  tender  stalks,  and 
when  summer  came  the  enclosure  resembled  a  huge  basket 
overflowing  with  golden  harvest.  The  crops  were  divided 
among  the  Indians,  who  now  could  appreciate  the  advan- 
tage derived  from  tilling  the  soil.  The  missionaries  seized 
this  occasion  to  explain  to  them  the  mystery  of  the  resur- 
rection of  the  body. 

In  the  spring  of  1842  provisions  again  ran  short.  Un- 
able, this  time,  to  obtain  them  from  Fort  Colville,  Father 

of  the  chief  what  had  become  of  the  rest.  '  Black  Robe,'  he  said,  '  I  am 
ashamed  and  afraid  to  tell  you.  I  was  absent  when  you  put  your  bales  in 
my  tent.  My  wife  opened  one  to  see  if  the  meat  was  moldy.  The  fat 
looked  so  good  and  tempting!  She  tasted  it,  and  when  I  returned  offered 
it  to  me  and  the  children.  Soon  the  news  spread  through  the  village;  the 
neighbors  nocked  in  and  we  ate  it  all  up.' 

"Had  the  worthy  man  wished  to  repeat  anew  the  story  of  our  first  parents, 
he  did  full  justice  to  his  r&le.  This  incident  furnished  me  the  occasion 
to  instruct  the  Indians  on  original  sin  and  its  disastrous  consequences. 
The  chief  then  arose,  and  after  severely  reprimanding  his  wife,  protested 
in  the  name  of  the  tribe  that  a  similar  occurrence  would  never  again  happen." 
(Letter  cited.) 


i42     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

De  Smet  journeyed  to  Fort  Vancouver  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Columbia,  and  about  a  thousand  miles  west  of  St. 
Mary's.  This  journey  was  destined  to  play  a  part  in  the 
religious  future  of  Oregon  that  Father  De  Smet  then  little 
dreamed  of. 

Leaving  St.  Mary's  Mission  April  13th,  he  visited  the 
Kalispels  in  passing,  and  while  there  preached  to  the  tribe 
and  strengthened  them  in  their  good  resolutions.  Further 
on,  he  came  upon  the  camp  of  the  Kootenais.  This  tribe 
had  never  seen  a  priest;  but  from  an  Iroquois  who  had 
been  thirty  years  in  their  camp,  they  learned  the  principal 
articles  of  faith.  Father  De  Smet  baptized  the  infants,  and 
the  adults  who  had  received  some  instruction. 

After  crossing  the  Bitter  Root  Mountains  he  came  to  the 
country  of  the  Cceur  d'Alenes,  a  fertile,  lovely  valley 
stretching  westward  hundreds  of  miles.  Clusters  of  dark 
pines  and  cedars  emerged  from  the  green  plain,  in  the  cen- 
ter of  which  lay  a  lake  well  stocked  with  fish.  A  river  ran 
through  the  valley,  and  to  the  north,  east,  and  south  snow- 
capped mountains  pierced  the  clouds.  Formerly  the  Coeur 
d'Alenes  were  considered  the  most  barbarous  and  degraded 
of  the  mountain  tribes;  they  adored  animals,  and  lived  in 
complete  ignorance  of  God,  the  soul,  and  a  future  life. 
Even  the  precepts  of  natural  law  were  but  vaguely  under- 
stood and  pretty  generally  offended  against  in  practice. 
About  1830,  an  Iroquois  Catholic,  it  is  supposed,  taught 
them  the  first  elements  of  Christianity.  Shortly  after  this 
date,  the  tribe  suffered  the  ravages  of  a  violent  epidemic. 
When  the  plague  was  at  its  height,  a  dying  man  heard  a 
voice  saying:  "Leave  your  idols,  adore  Jesus  Christ,  and 
you  will  be  cured."  He  obeyed,  and  was  restored  to  health. 
Then,  making  a  tour  of  the  camp,  the  restored  man  related 
what  had  taken  place  and  entreated  his  stricken  brethren 
to  follow  his  example.  They  did  so  and  all  likewise  were 
cured.7  This  event  produced  a  profound  impression  on  the 
Coeur  d'Alenes,  but  without  a  priest  to  further  instruct 
them,  a  few  of  the  tribe  returned  to  the  worship  of  idols; 

'Father  Point,  who  relates  this  fact,  adds:  "I  heard  the  above  from  the 
lips  of  the  Indian  to  whom  it  happened,  who  wept  tears  of  gratitude  in  re- 
lating it.  Furthermore,  eye-witnesses  confirmed  his  statement."  (Cf. 
De  Smet,  "Missions  de  l'Oregon,"  p.  243;  Father  Point,  Recollections  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains  in  "  The  Woodstock  Letters,"  1883,  p.  153. 


THE  CCEUR  D'ALENES  143 

the  conduct  of  many,  however,  since  the  revelation  of  the 
true  God,  had  remained  irreproachable. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  Coeur  d'Alenes  when 
Father  De  Smet  visited  the  tribe  in  1842.  "I  was  con- 
ducted in  triumph  to  the  lodge  of  the  chief,"  he  tells  us, 
"and  there,  as  in  every  other  Indian  camp,  the  calumet  was 
brought  forth.  After  it  had  been  handed  around  several 
times  and  smoked  in  solemn  silence  the  chief  addressed  me 
in  the  following  words: 

"'Black  Robe,  welcome  to  our  country.  Long  have  we 
desired  to  see  you  and  be  enlightened  by  your  words. 
Our  fathers  worshiped  the  earth  and  the  sun.  I  remember 
distinctly  the  day  we  first  heard  of  the  one  and  only  true 
God.  Since  then  it  is  to  Him  we  have  addressed  our 
prayers  and  supplications,  and  yet  we  are  much  to  be  pitied. 
We  do  not  know  the  teachings  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  we 
sit  in  darkness.  But  now  I  hope  you  have  come  to  bring 
us  light.  I  have  finished.  Speak,  Black  Robe !  Every  ear 
is  open  and  eager  to  hear  your  words.' 

"During  the  two  hours  in  which  I  spoke  to  them  of 
salvation  and  the  end  of  man,  absolute  silence  and  stillness 
reigned.  The  sun  was  just  setting,  and  I  recited  the 
prayer  I  had  some  days  before  translated  into  their  tongue. 
Refreshments  were  then  offered,  consisting  of  scraps  of 
dried  meat,  a  black  moss  cake  that  tasted  like  soap,  and  a 
glass  of  river- water,  all  of  which  were  as  nectar  and  ambrosia 
to  a  man  who  had  not  tasted  food  since  sunrise.  The 
chiefs  expressing  a  desire  to  hear  me  again,  I  continued  to 
instruct  the  tribe  until  far  into  the  night,  pausing  every 
half-hour  to  hand  around  the  calumet  and  give  time  for 
reflection.  During  these  pauses  the  chiefs  conversed 
about  what  they  had  just  heard,  explaining  it  to  their 
subordinates. 

"Upon  awakening  in  the  morning  I  found  my  tent  in- 
vaded by  Indians  who  had  slipped  in  before  dawn.  Get- 
ting up  at  once,  I  knelt  down,  the  Indians  following  my 
example,  and  together  we  offered  our  day  and  our  hearts 
to  God.  'Black  Robe,'  said  the  chief,  'we  came  here  early 
this  morning  to  watch  you  and  imitate  you.  Your  prayer 
is  good,  and  we  wish  to  adopt  it.  But  you  will  stay  here 
only  two  nights,  and  we  have  no  one  to  teach  it  to  us.'     I 


i44     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

rang  the  bell  for  morning  prayers,  and  promised  the  chief 
they  all  would  know  the  prayer  before  my  departure."8 
Then  it  was  that  Father  De  Smet  laid  down  the  method 
that  would  henceforth  be  used  for  teaching  the  tribes  their 
prayers.  He  assembled  the  Indians,  ranging  the  children 
in  a  circle,  with  instructions  to  keep  the  same  place  at  every 
reunion.  Then  each  one  was  made  to  learn  a  phrase  of  the 
prayer  by  heart.  Two  children  repeated  the  Hail  Mary, 
seven  the  Our  Father,  ten  the  Commandments,  and  twelve 
the  Apostles'  Creed.  After  repeating  to  each  child  his 
particular  phrase  until  he  knew  it  by  heart,  the  missionary 
then  made  them  recite  the  phrases  each  in  turn.  This 
made  a  continued  prayer,  which  the  tribe  listened  ^  to 
night  and  morning.  After  a  few  days  one  of  the  chiefs 
knew  all  the  prayers  by  heart,  and  from  that  time  he  re- 
cited them  for  the  tribe. 

Two  days  after  his  arrival  at  the  Cceur  d'Alene  camp, 
Father  De  Smet  baptized  the  children,  the  sick,  and  the 
old  men  and  women  of  the  tribe.  It  seemed  as  though 
God  had  only  kept  these  last  on  earth  to  accord  them  this 
supreme  favor.  In  listening  to  their  expressions  of  joy  and 
gratitude  one  seemed  to  hear  again  Simeon's  praises  to 
the  Lord. 

Torn  with  regret,  the  missionary  took  leave  of  his  new 
Christians,  promising  to  send  them  a  priest  to  complete 
their  instruction.  "Never  has  a  visit  to  the  Indians 
given  me  so  much  consolation,  and  nowhere  have  I 
seen  such  unmistakable  proof  of  true  conversion,  not 
even  excepting  the  Flatheads  in  1840."  The  future 
but  confirmed  his  judgment,  for  the  Cceur  d'Alenes  re- 
mained the  most  industrious  and  Christian  of  the  moun- 
tain tribes. 

Father  De  Smet  then  visited  the  Spokanes,  who  were 
eager  for  religious  knowledge,  and  from  there  he  went  to 
Fort  Colville.  The  melting  of  the  snow  having  occasioned 
great  floods,  he  was  unable  to  travel  overland  to  Van- 
couver. While  his  guides  and  followers  were  constructing 
a  boat  in  which  to  make  the  journey  on  the  Columbia, 
Father  De  Smet  visited  the  Chaudieres  or  Kettle  Indians, 
and  the  Okinagans  camped  on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
8  Letter  to  the  FatherGeneral,  Madison  Fork,  Aug.  15,  1842. 


THE  CCEUR  D'ALENES  i45 

Young  and  old  came  running  to  him,  all  eager  to  receive 
instruction,  and  quickly  applied  themselves  to  learning 
the  prayers.  Here  again  the  missionary  could  do  no  more 
than  baptize  the  children  and  the  sick.  "Had  we  but  a 
few  more  priests,"  he  writes,  "and  the  means  of  getting 
farming  implements  for  the  Indians,  all  the  mountain 
tribes  would  soon  be  Catholic."9 

On  May  30th  he  set  out  on  his  journey  to  Vancouver. 
Numerous  rapids  and  submerged  rocks  render  naviga- 
tion on  the  Columbia  extremely  dangerous,  and  once 
more  Father  De  Smet  was  to  experience  that  marvelous 
protection  which  accompanied  him  throughout  all  his 
travels. 

"I  had  gone  ashore,"  he  tells  us,  "and  was  walking  on 
the  river-bank,  little  dreaming  of  the  catastrophe  that 
threatened.  The  men  pushed  out  into  the  stream,  and 
seeing  them  leisurely  pulling  along  and  singing  as  they  bent 
to  their  oars,  I  began  to  regret  having  preferred  a  stony 
path  on  the  edge  of  a  rock  to  the  smoothness  of  the  river. 
Suddenly  the  prow  struck,  throwing  the  men  almost  out 
of  their  seats.  Righting  themselves  quickly,  they  at- 
tempted to  move  off,  when  the  boat  was  caught  in  a  whirl- 
pool. The  river  was  white  with  foam,  and  above  the  roar 
of  the  waters  I  heard  the  pilot  urging  the  men  to  row. 
Alas!  it  was  all  in  vain.  The  boat  whirled  around  in  the 
maelstrom,  its  prow  rose  in  the  air,  and  then  it  plunged 
into  the  abyss. 

"A  cold  sweat  broke  out  all  over  me,  and  for  the  moment 
all  was  a  blur.  A  cry,  'We  are  lost !'  told  me  the  fate  of  my 
men.  Unable  to  render  aid,  I  stood  there  helpless,  a 
petrified  spectator  of  the  awful  scene.  No  trace  of  the 
accident  was  visible  in  the  spot  where  the  boat  had  dis- 
appeared, but,  as  the  waters  calmed,  I  beheld  the  men  in  a 
life-and-death  struggle.  The  oars,  the  mast,  the  up- 
turned boat,  with  its  contents,  floated  about  upon  the 
water.  The  men  battled  with  the  whirlpool  that,  forming 
again,  engulfed  five  of  the  crew — forever.  My  interpreter 
twice  touched  bottom  and  thought  himself  lost,  when, 
with  a  prayer  on  his  lips,  he  landed  safely  on  the  bank. 
An  Iroquois  was  saved  by  clinging  to  my  bed;  a  third  man 
9  Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  Fort  Colville,  May  25,  1842. 


146     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

had  the  luck  to  grasp  the  handle  of  an  empty  trunk  which 
kept  him  afloat  until  he  could  reach  shore."10 

The  rest  of  the  journey  passed  without  incident.  Father 
De  Smet  had  the  happiness  of  baptizing  several  children 
of  the  various  tribes  he  visited,  and  on  June  8th  he  arrived 
at  Fort  Vancouver. 

The  territory  of  Oregon  at  that  time  comprised  the  whole 
region  lying  between  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Pacific 
Ocean.11  The  situation  of  that  vast  country  and  the  gran- 
deur of  its  scenery  were  unsurpassed.  To  the  west  lay  the 
Pacific,  with  its  deep  bays  and  steep  cliffs.  A  horizon  of  pine- 
clad  hills  marked  the  eastern  boundary,  behind  which  towered 
the  great  Rocky  Mountain  chain,  its  peaks  shrouded  in 
eternal  snows.  The  country  abounded  with  green  valleys, 
sapphire  lakes,  and  boundless  prairies.  Great  rivers  be- 
came cataracts,  dashing  down  into  deep  and  dark  ravines. 

Until  the  beginning  of  the  last  century,  Oregon,  to  the 
white  man,  was  an  unexplored  land.  The  Hudson  Bay 
Company  was  the  first  to  discover  and  exploit  its  richness.12 
The  fertility  of  the  soil,  its  rich  vegetation,  and  the  harvest 
of  priceless  furs  to  be  obtained  from  every  variety  of  animal, 
attracted  bold  and  venturesome  merchants,  among  whom 
were  several  Catholic  Canadians. 

In  1824,  John  McLoughlin,  a  man  of  undisputed  ability, 
was  appointed  Governor  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  posts 
in  Oregon.13  Agents  who  had  finished  their  years  of  service 
were  permitted  to  locate  in  the  country,  and  were  given 
land,  principally  upon  Willamette  River.  This  colony,  not 
wishing  to  be  deprived  of  the  helps  and  consolations  of 
their  religion,  asked  for  a  Catholic  priest. 

10  Letter  to  the  Father  General,  Madison  Fork,  Aug.  15,  1842. 

11  For  a  long  time  this  country  was  disputed  territory.  The  Oregon 
question  was  settled  by  the  Powers  in  1846.  All  land  south  of  the  49th  degree 
of  latitude  was  given  to  the  United  States,  and  the  rest  became  British 
possessions. 

12  The  Hudson  Bay  Fur  Company,  founded  in  1670,  with  its  principal 
headquarters  in  Montreal,  had  the  monopoly  of  all  trade  west  of  the  British 
possessions  and  in  Oregon.  In  the  latter  country  the  company  had  several 
trading-posts,  the  most  important  being  Fort  Vancouver. 

13  Born  in  Canada  in  1784,  Dr.  McLoughlin  was  educated  in  Paris, 
and  at  an  early  age  entered  the  service  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  Brought 
up  a  Protestant,  he  later  in  life  embraced  the  Catholic  faith,  and  from  that 
time  his  influence  and  services  were  always  at  the  disposal  of  the  missionaries. 


FATHER  BLANCHET  147 

In  1838  the  Archbishop  of  Quebec  obtained  passage  for 
two  Canadian  missionaries,  Francis  Norbert  Blanchet,  and 
Modeste  Demers,  on  one  of  the  Fur  Company's  boats. 
Francis  Norbert  Blanchet  was  appointed  Vicar  General, 
with  jurisdiction  over  the  whole  country  situated  west  of 
the  mountains.  The  missionaries  journeyed  for  several 
months  over  lakes  and  rivers  before  reaching  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  from  where  they  descended  into  the  Columbia 
valley,  where  they  found  Protestant  missionaries  already 
installed. 

As  far  back  as  1834,  Methodists,  Presbyterians,  and  An- 
glicans swarmed  into  Oregon,  each  denomination  estab- 
lishing its  own  churches.  The  zeal  of  the  Catholic  mis- 
sionaries accomplished  prodigies  in  an  effort  to  combat 
the  work  of  these  sects.  Catholic  churches  were  erected 
at  Vancouver,  Willamette,  and  at  Cowlitz.  Christian  piety 
being  revived,  Canadian  trappers  were  rescued  from  the 
disorders  of  a  life  of  adventure;  and  the  Indian  was  not 
forgotten. 

In  order  to  reach  the  tribes  Father  Demers  retraced  his 
steps  and  went  up  the  Columbia  to  Walla  Walla  and  Col- 
ville.  But  what  were  two  priests  in  the  vast  work  of  con- 
verting a  population  of  200,000  souls,  scattered  over  an 
area  aggregating  nine  hundred  miles  in  length  and  six 
hundred  miles  in  width  ? 

Hearing  that  Father  De  Smet,  with  five  other  mission- 
aries, had  arrived  in  the  mountains,  Father  Blanchet  has- 
tened to  acquaint  him  with  the  conditions  existing  in  Ore- 
gon. "You  can  readily  see,"  he  says,  in  concluding  his 
letter,  "how  timely  the  arrival  of  one  of  your  Fathers  and 
a  lay  Brother  would  be.  In  my  opinion,  this  place  is  where 
the  religious  foundations  in  this  part  of  the  country  should 
be  laid:  a  college,  a  convent,  and  schools  are  an  absolute 
necessity.  This  is  the  battle-ground,  here  we  must  con- 
quer, and  here  the  first  large  mission  should  be  established. 
From  central  posts  missionaries  could  visit  the  outlying 
posts,  distributing  the  Bread  of  life  to  infidels  still  plunged 
in  the  darkness  of  death."14 

i4Fort  Vancouver,  Sept.  28,  1841.  Dr.  McLoughlin  seconded  Father 
Blanchet  in  this  matter.  "After  many  years'  experience  I  am  fully  con- 
vinced that  the  most  efficacious  means  of  spreading  Catholicity  in  this  part 


148     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Going,  some  months  later,  to  Fort  Vancouver  to  revictuai 
St.  Mary's  Mission,  Father  De  Smet  was  able  to  investigate 
for  himself  the  condition  of  the  missions  in  Western  Oregon. 
At  St.  Paul  on  the  Willamette  he  met  the  Canadian  mis- 
sionaries.15 Plans  for  Christianizing  the  country  were  dis- 
cussed and  decided  upon.  Father  De  Smet  realized  the 
necessity  of  establishing  a  large  mission  in  Western  Oregon, 
where  civilization  was  rapidly  advancing,  and  from  where 
Catholicism  would  penetrate  into  the  mountains.  But 
alas!  men  and  money  were  wanting.  The  Fathers  from 
St.  Louis  hardly  sufficed  for  the  needs  of  the  new  converts, 
and,  moreover,  that  immense  territory  required  not  one 
but  many  missionaries.  Sisters  were  also  needed  to  under- 
take the  Christian  education  of  the  children. 

Father  De  Smet  decided  to  go  himself  to  his  Superior 
to  plead  the  cause  of  the  Oregon  Mission,  resolved  that, 
failing  to  obtain  help  in  St.  Louis,  he  would  seek  it  in  Eu- 
rope. A  few  days  later  the  missionaries  separated,  as 
Father  De  Smet  was  eager  to  return  to  St.  Mary's  with  the 
provisions,  tools,  and  clothes  he  had  purchased  at  Van- 
couver for  the  mission.    He  arrived  there  July  27th. 

The  Flatheads,  accompanied  by  Father  Point,  were 
absent  on  the  summer  hunting  expedition ;  Father  Menga- 
rini  guarded  the  old  people  and  the  children  left  in  camp 
during  their  absence.  Without  delay,  Father  De  Smet  de- 
parted to  join  the  hunters,  and  on  August  15th  he  cele- 
brated Mass  in  a  beautiful  plain  watered  by  the  Madison : 
' '  I  wanted  to  thank  God  for  the  many  favors  accorded  me 
during  the  past  year.  I  had  the  consolation  of  seeing  fifty 
Flatheads  approach  the  holy  table.  In  their  humility 
and  devotion  they  resembled  angels  more  than  men."16 

The  missionary  would  have  liked  to  linger  and  enjoy  the 

of  the  world  would  be  the  establishment  of  a  large  mission  for  the  colonists 
at  Willamette  and  Cowlitz.  The  Indian  imitates  the  white  man,  and  if  one 
of  your  Fathers  and  a  lay  Brother  could  come  here  to  labor  with  Fathers 
Blanchet  and  Demers  until  reinforcements  arrive  from  Canada,  it  would  be 
an  immense  gain  for  religion."     (Vancouver,  Sept.  27,  1 841.) 

15  When  Father  De  Smet  found  himself  in  the  presence  of  the  Vicar 
General,  the  humble  religious  fell  upon  his  knees  to  ask  his  blessing.  Father 
Blanchet,  beholding  Father  De  Smet,  sank  upon  his  knees  to  ask  the  same 
favor.  Father  Demers,  a  witness  of  this  touching  scene,  liked  to  tell  of  it 
in  after-life. 

16  Letter  to  the  Father  General,  Madison  Fork,  Aug.  15,  1842. 


FATHER  BLANCHET  149 

fervor  of  his  neophytes,  but  duty  called  him  elsewhere. 
Father  Mengarini  was  left  in  charge  of  the  Flatheads  and 
Pend  d'Oreilles.  Father  Point,  upon  the  return  of  the 
hunting  expedition,  was  to  go  with  Brother  Huet  to 
establish  a  mission  for  the  Cceur  d'Alenes.  The  mis- 
sionary himself  started  out  for  the  fourth  time  to  cross  the 
American  desert,  again  in  search  of  recruits  for  the  mission. 

Father  De  Smet's  escort  consisted  of  ten  Indians. 
They  crossed  two  mountain  chains  and  made  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  in  three  days  across  a  country  infested  with 
Blackfeet,  without,  however,  encountering  one  of  the 
tribe.  Then  came  a  few  days'  rest  with  a  friendly  tribe 
before  setting  out  for  the  Crows. 

"The  Crows  spied  us  from  afar,  and  when  they  recog- 
nized us  cried  out  'the  Black  Robe!  the  Black  Robe!' 
Men,  women,  and  children  to  the  number  of  about  three 
thousand  poured  out  of  their  huts  like  bees  out  of  a  hive. 
My  entry  into  the  village  occasioned  a  wild  scene,  of  which 
I  found  myself,  ex  abrupto,  the  principal  actor.  The  chiefs 
and  highest  braves,  numbering  about  fifty  in  all,  suddenly 
pressed  around  me,  impeding  my  passage,  one  pulling  me 
to  the  right,  another  to  the  left;  a  third  held  my  cassock, 
and  an  athlete  wished  to  carry  me,  all  talking  at  once 
and  appearing  to  be  quarreling. 

"Not  understanding  the  language,  I  wondered  if  I 
■should  laugh  or  be  serious.  Happily,  the  interpreter  re- 
lieved my  embarrassment,  telling  me  that  this  tumult 
was  but  an  expression  of  politeness  and  high  regard  for 
my  person.  All  solicited  the  honor  of  feeding  and  lodging 
the  Black  Robe.  Acting  upon  the  interpreter's  advice,  I 
chose  my  host.  The  others  immediately  fell  back  as  I 
followed  the  chief  into  his  lodge,  the  largest  and  most  splen- 
did one  in  the  camp.  Then  the  Crows  began  to  pour 
into  the  lodge,  offering  me  every  conceivable  attention. 
The  social  calumet,  symbol  of  Indian  unity  and  brother- 
hood, was  kept  lighted  and  passed  around  to  the  entire 
assembly."17 

17 "  These  Indians,"  wrote  Father  De  Smet,  "  are  without  doubt  the  most 
enquiring,  the  most  eager  for  instruction,  the  cleverest  and  most  civilized 
of  the  Western  tribes,  and,  furthermore,  great  friends  and  admirers  of  the 


ISO     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

"Wild  with  joy,  the  Indians  declared  this  to  be  the 
greatest  day  of  their  lives.  They  entreated  me  to  take 
pity  upon  the  tribe  and  remain  to  teach  them  and  their 
children  to  know  and  serve  the  Great  Spirit.  I  promised 
them  a  Black  Robe,  on  condition  that  the  chief  would  un- 
dertake to  abolish  thieving,  so  frequent  among  them,  and 
reform  the  degrading  corruption  of  morals  that  reigned  in 
his  tribe. 

These  Indians  have  one  thing  in  their  favor  upon  which 
I  base  great  hopes:  So  far  they  have  resisted  the  efforts 
of  American  merchants  to  introduce  intoxicating  liquors 
into  their  tribe.  'What  is  your  fire-water  good  for?'  said 
the  chief.  'It  only  does  evil.  It  burns  the  throat  and 
stomach  and  makes  a  bear  of  a  man :  he  bites,  growls,  yells, 
and  finally  falls  down  like  a  dead  body.  Take  this  liquor 
to  our  enemies;  they  will  kill  each  other,  leaving  their 
wives  and  children  in  a  pitiable  condition.  We  do  not 
want  whiskey.     We  are  crazy  enough  without  it.' 

"Before  departing  I  witnessed  a  touching  scene.  The 
chief  asked  to  see  my  crucifix.  Taking  advantage  of  the 
occasion  I  told  them  about  Our  Lord's  sufferings,  why 
He  gave  His  life  for  us,  at  the  same  time  putting  the 
crucifix  into  his  hands.  Reverently  he  kissed  it,  and 
pressing  the  image  of  Our  Saviour  to  his  breast,  with  eyes 
lifted  toward  heaven,  cried  out:  'Oh,  Great  Spirit,  have 
pity  upon  Thy  children,  and  show  them  mercy.'"18 

After  leaving  the  Crows'  camp,  Father  De  Smet,  with 

white  man.  They  plied  me  with  questions,  and  among  others  wished  to  know 
the  population  of  the  white  man.  'Count,'  said  I,  'the  blades  of  grass 
in  your  vast  prairie  and  you  will  then  have  some  idea  of  their  number.' 
This  occasioned  general  mirth.  No  such  thing  was  possible,  they  said,  but 
they  nevertheless  understood  what  I  meant.  I  then  told  them  of  the  white 
man's  villages — London,  Paris,  etc.;  of  towers  high  as  mountains,  and 
churches  vast  enough  to  contain  all  the  Crows  and  Blackfeet  at  one  time;  of 
the  streets  in  these  great  villages  filled  with  hurrying  men  and  women  in  more 
compact  masses  than  the  buffaloes  ranging  their  prairies.  Such  marvels 
left  them  speechless  with  wonder;  and  when  I  described  moving  tents  drawn 
by  a  machine  that  vomited  forth  smoke  and  outdistanced  the  fleetest 
horse;  boats  that  traversed  the  ocean,  transporting  in  a  few  days  the  in- 
habitants of  an  entire  village  from  one  country  to  another;  men  rising  in 
the  air  and  soaring  in  the  clouds  like  mountain  eagles,  their  astonishment 
knew  no  bounds.  Closing  their  hands  over  their  mouths,  they  emitted 
screams  indicating  admiration.  'The  Master  of  life  is  great,'  said  the 
chief,  'and  the  white  men  are  His  favorites.'  " 

18  Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  St.  Louis,  Nov.  3,  1842. 


FATHER  BLANCHET  151 

Young  Ignatius,  a  half-breed  named  Gabriel,  and  two 
Protestant  Americans,  entered  once  more  the  valley  of  the 
Yellowstone,  then  infested  with  wild  tribes.  The  per- 
petual warfare  carried  on  between  the  Blackfeet,  Sioux, 
Cheyennes,  and  Assiniboins  made  it  the  most  dangerous 
spot  in  the  wild  Western  country. 

"After  traveling  six  days  we  arrived  at  the  scene  of  a 
recent  massacre.  About  us  lay  the  bloody  remains  of  ten 
Assiniboins  massacred  three  days  before,  their  bodies 
already  half  devoured  by  wolves  and  birds  of  prey.  The 
sight  of  these  remains  and  the  vultures  circling  over  our 
heads  filled  me  with  secret  terror ;  the  little  courage  I  pos- 
sessed seemed  to  abandon  me,  although  I  tried  to  conquer 
this  feeling  and  hide  it  from  my  companions.  Each  step 
but  increased  it,  coming  as  we  did  upon  fresh  traces  of  men 
and  horses,  unmistakable  signs  of  the  proximity  of  the 
enemy.  Our  guide  feared  we  were  already  discovered,  but 
thought  by  proceeding  cautiously  we  would  escape  pursuit. 

"The  next  day  the  following  line  of  march  was  adopted. 
At  daybreak  we  were  in  the  saddle.  At  ten  o'clock  a  halt 
of  an  hour  or  two,  a  place  being  carefully  chosen,  offering 
some  defence  in  case  of  attack.  Then  we  started  off  again, 
going  at  a  brisk  trot  until  sundown.  After  the  evening 
meal,  in  order  to  deceive  the  enemy,  we  built  a  big  fire, 
hurriedly  erected  a  cabin  out  of  branches  of  trees,  after 
which  we  got  on  our  horses  and  rode  until  ten  or  eleven 
o'clock  at  night.  We  then  dismounted  and  without  fire 
or  shelter  rested  as  best  we  could." 

The  travelers  at  last  reached  the  Missouri  River  and 
remained  several  days  at  Fort  Union.  The  long  trip  across 
an  arid  desert  had  exhausted  the  horses,  and  yet  eighteen 
hundred  miles  lay  between  the  missionary  and  St.  Louis. 
So  Father  De  Smet,  with  Ignatius  and  Gabriel,  procured  a 
boat  and  in  this  frail  bark  abandoned  themselves  to  the 
swift  current  of  the  Missouri. 

"This  time  we  were  in  luck.  The  third  day  out  we 
heard  a  steamboat  in  the  distance,  and  before  long  it  hove 
in  sight.  Our  first  thought  was  to  thank  God  for  this 
present  favor.  The  proprietors  of  the  boat,  as  well  as 
the  captain,  generously  invited  us  to  come  aboard.  I  ac- 
cepted thankfully,  all  the  more  when  I  learned  that  warring 


152     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

tribes  were  in  hiding  all  along  the  river.  The  water  was 
low,  the  snags  and  sand-bars  frequent,  and  the  boat  was 
often  in  danger  of  being  wrecked.  Submerged  rocks  broke 
the  paddle-wheels,  a  hurricane  overturned  the  pilot's  house, 
which  would  have  been  swept  into  the  water  had  cables 
not  been  quickly  attached,  and  after  forty-six  days  of  peril- 
ous navigation  a  skeleton  of  a  boat  landed  us  at  St.  Louis. 
"The  last  Sunday  in  October  found  me  kneeling  before 
the  Blessed  Virgin's  altar  in  the  cathedral,  thanking  God 
for  the  protection  He  had  accorded  His  unworthy  servant. 
From  the  beginning  of  April  I  had  covered  five  thousand 
miles;  had  been  up  and  down  the  Columbia  River,  where 
five  of  my  men  perished  before  my  eyes;  I  had  been  the 
length  of  the  entire  desert  of  the  Yellowstone  and  descended 
the  Missouri  to  St.  Louis;  and  in  this  long  voyage  I  had 
never  received  a  scratch  nor  wanted  for  the  necessities  of 
life.     Dominus  memor  fuit  nostri  et  benedixit  nobis."1* 

19  "The  Lord  hath  been  mindful  of  us  and  hath  blessed  us."     (Ps.  cxiii, 
12.)     Letter  quoted. 


CHAPTER  IX 

SECOND  VOYAGE  TO  EUROPE  (1843-1844) 

Fathers  De  Vos  and  Adrian  Hoecken  are  Sent  to  the  Mountains — Father 
De  Smet  and  Daniel  O'Connell — A  National  Meeting — Journey  to 
Rome — Father  De  Smet  Received  by  the  Pope — Gregory  XVI  Wishes 
to  Make  Him  a  Bishop — New  Missionaries — Sisters  of  Notre  Dame — 
From  Antwerp  to  Vancouver  around  the  Horn — A  Seven  Months' 
Journey — Storms,  Shortage  of  Food,  Reefs. 

FATHER  DE  SMET  remained  in  St.  Louis  only  a  few 
days,  for  he  was  eager  to  set  about  sending  mission- 
aries to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  to  Oregon.  Informed 
of  the  needs  of  the  mission,  Father  Verhaegen,  Vice- 
Provincial  of  Missouri,  appointed  two  priests  and  a 
Brother  to  join  Fathers  Point  and  Mengarini.  These 
were  Father  Peter  De  Vos,  former  Master  of  Novices  at 
Florissant,  Father  Adrian  Hoecken,  the  brother  of  Chris- 
tian Hoecken,  apostle  to  the  Potawatomies,  and  Brother 
MacGean.1 

Men  were  not  sufficient:  money  was  needed,  and  this 
the  St.  Louis  Fathers  were  unable  to  furnish.2  So  Father 
De  Smet  again  set  about  raising  funds,  and  after  publish- 
ing an  account  of  his  journeys,3  started  on  a  begging  tour, 
visiting  in  turn  New  Orleans,  Boston,  Louisville,  Cin- 
cinnati, Pittsburg,  Cumberland,  Baltimore,  Washington, 
Philadelphia,  and  New  York.  By  the  end  of  the  winter 
he  had  collected  five  thousand  dollars,  a  sum  sufficient  to 

1  In  Father  De  Smet's  absence,  Father  De  Vos  was  appointed  Superior 
of  the  mission. 

2  "We  are  up  to  our  eyes  in  debt,"  writes  Father  Van  de  Velde,  "and 
God  alone  knows  how  we  shall  be  able  to  extricate  ourselves.  The  assistance 
formerly  received  from  Belgium  and  Holland  has  decreased,  and  our  ex- 
penses increase  in  the  measure  our  resources  diminish."  (Letter  to  Mr. 
De  Nef,  St.  Louis,  Jan.  10,  1843.) 

3  "  Letters  and  Sketches,  with  a  Narrative  of  a  Year's  Residence  among 
the  Indian  Tribes  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,"  Philadelphia,  1843. 

11 


154     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

defray  the  expense  of  the  journey  of  the  new  missionaries, 
and  to  purchase  necessities  for  the  development  of  the 
colony. 

In  May,  1843,  Father  De  Smet  accompanied  Father 
De  Vos  and  his  companions  as  far  as  Westport,  and  him- 
self directed  the  departure  of  the  caravan,  happy  to  be 
able  to  send  such  a  reinforcement  to  his  beloved  Indians. 

But  what  were  three  missionaries  in  the  work  of  evan- 
gelizing such  a  vast  country?  Since  the  American  prov- 
inces were  unable  to  furnish  priests,  Father  De  Smet  de- 
cided to  seek  them  in  Europe,  and  on  June  7th  he  sailed 
with  Bishop  Hughes,  that  valiant  metropolitan,  who  was 
journeying  to  Rome.  Dating  from  that  voyage,  an  in- 
timate and  lasting  friendship  existed  between  the  prelate 
and  the  missionary.  On  June  28th  Father  De  Smet 
landed  in  Ireland,  and  there  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Daniel  O'Connell,  that  great  man  that  personified  un- 
shaken faith  in  the  just  claims  of  his  unhappy  country. 
The  labors  of  Bishop  Hughes  in  behalf  of  the  Irish  immi- 
grants and  the  many  organizations  of  which  he  was  the 
very  soul,  assured  him  a  cordial  welcome  from  O'Connell. 
The  Bishop  himself  introduced  the  "Apostle  of  the  Indians  " 
to  the  great  agitator.  The  next  day  a  national  meeting  was 
to  be  held  in  Dublin,  and  O'Connell  invited  his  guests 
to  accompany  him. 

"I  have  been  present,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "at  a 
gathering  of  two  hundred  thousand  people,  and  had  the 
honor  of  sitting  in  the  same  carriage  with  the  great  liberator, 
Daniel  O'Connell.  The  people's  enthusiasm  knew  no 
bounds:  we  were  literally  carried  in  triumph  to  the  meet- 
ing-place near  the  city,  amid  the  acclamations  and  blessings 
of  the  throng.  Seated  on  the  platform,  not  a  word  of  the 
stirring  discourse  escaped  me.  That  day  Irish  eloquence 
resounded  in  all  its  glory. 

"What  a  spectacle  it  was  for  me,  a  missionary  who, 
after  being  buried  for  five  years  in  the  heart  of  the  American 
desert,  and  now  thrown  by  chance  upon  Irish  soil,  found 
myself  beside  one  of  the  greatest  men  of  the  day — the  only 
agitator  who  has  ever  instigated  a  revolution  without 
spilling  one  drop  of  blood. 

"What  a  man!     I  cannot  express  my  sensations  and 


SECOND  VOYAGE  TO  EUROPE     155 

feelings  on  that  occasion.  Never  did  I  behold  a  brighter 
eye,  a  more  benevolent  face,  a  more  imposing  and  com- 
manding person.  His  words  flow  like  honey  from  his 
lips;  he  enraptures  and  captivates  and  places  you  at  your 
ease  in  a  moment,  just  like  an  old  friend  and  acquaint- 
ance."4 

Father  De  Smet  and  Bishop  Hughes  left  Dublin  together 
and  traveled  to  Liverpool.  From  there  the  missionary 
journeyed  to  London  and  later  on  to  Belgium.5  Accounts 
of  Father  De  Smet's  labors  among  the  Indians  had  already 
been  circulated  throughout  Belgium,  for  during  a  period  of 
five  years  his  letters  had  kept  the  benefactors  of  the  mis- 
sions informed  of  the  progress  religion  had  been  making 
among  the  Potawatomies  and  mountain  tribes.  The 
people  of  Belgium  vied  with  one  another  in  doing  honor  to 
the  missionary,  and  all  were  eager  to  hear  his  picturesque 
recitals. 

July  30th  found  him  in  Brussels,  where  he  gave  a  con- 
ference upon  his  missions  to  the  pupils  of  St.  Michael's 
College.  To  amuse  his  young  audience  he  introduced  a 
"redskin"  by  disguising  his  servant,  who,  thus  attired, 
struck  the  threatening  and  grotesque  attitudes  of  the 
Missouri  Indians.  Wild  applause  greeted  this  unexpected 
performance,  no  one  enjoying  it  more  than  Father  De  Smet 
himself,  who,  while  acquainting  them  with  his  Indian 
mission,  had  at  the  same  time  amused  the  children. 

The  missionary  permitted  himself  only  a  few  days  of 
affectionate  intercourse  with  his  family  and  friends,  for  he 
had  come  to  Europe  for  other  things  than  to  secure  sweet 
repose  and  the  easy  success  of  a  raconteur  of  adventures: 
he  was  seeking  laborers  in  the  Lord's  vineyard,  who  would 
depart  at  once  to  undertake  the  Christianization  of  Oregon. 
So,  early  in  August  he  left  Belgium  for  Rome  to  set  forth 
his  needs  to  the  Father  General  of  the  Society  of  Jesus. 

Father  Roothaan  received  Father  De  Smet  with  marks 
of  tender  affection,  and  listened  with  interest  and  deep 
emotion  to  the  accounts  of  the  labors  and  successes  of  his 

4  Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  London,  July  9,  1843. 

5  Bishop  Hughes,  while  in  Europe,  collected  money  for  his  diocese. 
He  was  introduced  by  Father  De  Smet  to  several  charitably-disposed  per- 
sons, among  them  the  pious  Queen  of  the  Belgians,  Marie  Louise,  who 
presented  the  Bishop  with  a  valuable  pectoral  cross. 


156     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

heroic  children.  Convinced  that  no  work  was  more 
worthy  than  the  evangelization  of  the  Indian,  he  promised 
to  personally  recommend  Father  De  Smet  to  the  different 
provinces  of  the  Society.  Then  the  Father  General  pre- 
sented the  first  missionary  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to 
Gregory  XVI.  Imagine  the  emotions  of  the  humble  mis- 
sionary when  the  Holy  Father  rose  from  his  throne  to 
embrace  him!  This  touching  reception  more  than  repaid 
Father  De  Smet  for  all  he  had  suffered  in  the  service  of  the 
Church. 

During  the  audience  the  Holy  Father  asked  many 
questions  about  the  Indians  and  their  attitude  toward 
religion.  Father  De  Smet  transmitted  to  His  Holiness  a 
message  from  Victor,  the  great  chief  of  the  Flatheads. 
When  this  zealous  neophyte  had  learned  that  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff  was  exposed  to  attacks  from  the  im- 
pious, he  had  arisen  and  addressed  the  missionary  in 
these  words: 

"Father,  you  speak  upon  paper  [you  write]:  if  the 
Great  Chief  of  the  Christians  is  in  danger,  send  him  a 
message  from  me.  We  will  build  him  a  lodge  in  the  middle 
of  our  camp ;  we  will  hunt  game  that  he  may  be  fed ;  and 
we  will  be  his  guards  to  protect  him  from  the  enemy." 
Gregory  XVI  smiled  benignly :  the  invitation  touched  His 
Holiness:  then,  seeming  to  read  the  future,  he  said,  "In 
truth,  the  time  is  coming  when  we  must  leave  Rome! 
And  where  shall  we  go?  God  alone  knows!  Give  my 
apostolic  blessing  to  those  excellent  Indians." 

But  Father  De  Smet's  joy  was  not  unalloyed,  for  soon  it 
came  to  his  ears  that  he  was  to  be  made  a  Bishop,  with 
jurisdiction  over  the  country  lying  between  the  Rocky- 
Mountains  and  the  Pacific  Ocean.  The  distracted  mis- 
sionary implored  his  Superior  to  save  him  from  an  office 
he  felt  unworthy  to  receive  and  incapable  of  discharging. 
Thanks  to  the  Father  General's  efforts  in  his  behalf, 
Father  De  Smet  was  spared  the  burden,  and  Father 
Blanchet,  Vicar  General,  was  appointed  Bishop  of  Oregon. 
Henceforth  the  Bishop  found  no  more  devoted  and  sub- 
missive collaborator  than  Father  De  Smet.6 

Returning  to  Belgium,  our  missionary  began  the  dis- 

6  Palladino,  "Indian  and  White  in  the  Northwest,"  p.  42. 


SECOND  VOYAGE  TO  EUROPE     157 

agreeable  task  of  begging.  The  principal  cities  of  Belgium 
were  visited  as  on  the  previous  tour  in  behalf  of  the  Indians, 
and  then  he  saw  for  the  last  time  Mr.  De  Nef,  for  the  fol- 
lowing year  the  great  benefactor  of  the  missions  died, 
leaving  to  the  Society  of  Jesus  the  direction  of  the  college 
which  had  been  his  life's  work.  From  Belgium  Father 
De  Smet  went  to  Holland.  In  the  dioceses  of  Bois-le-Duc 
and  Breda  he  aroused  great  zeal  in  behalf  of  the  missions, 
and  The  Hague,  Amsterdam,  and  Rotterdam  gave  gener- 
ously to  the  cause.7  The  General  of  the  Jesuits  had  been 
faithful  to  his  promises  and  had  made  appeals  to  Rome, 
Naples,  and  Lyons,  Spain  and  Germany,  with  the  result 
that  three  new  missionaries  started  at  once  for  the  Rocky 
Mountains.8  Five  others  were  appointed  to  return  with 
Father  De  Smet :  three  were  Italians,  Fathers  John  Nobili, 
Michael  Accolti,  and  Anthony  Ravalli;  two  were  Belgians, 
Father  Louis  Vercruysse,  of  Courtrai,  and  Brother  Francis 
Huybrechts,  of  Eeckeren,  near  Antwerp.  These  additional 
priests  brought  the  number  of  Jesuits  in  the  mission  up  to 
seventeen,  a  number  sufficient  at  that  time  for  its  most 
urgent  needs. 

But  for  the  education  of  the  Indians,  the  help  of  teaching 
Sisters  was  indispensable.  A  Belgian  community,  the 
Sisters  of  Notre  Dame  de  Namur,  had  three  years  pre- 
viously established  a  house  at  Cincinnati,  and  Father  De 
Smet,  having  visited  their  convent  before  leaving  America, 
was  much  impressed  with  the  work  accomplished  by  them. 
The  Sisters  themselves  were  eager  to  share  the  mission- 
aries' labors,  so  while  in  Belgium,  November  10,  1843,  he 
visited  their  mother-house.  In  the  annals  of  the  institu- 
tion we  read:  "We  were  happy  to  see  in  person,  if  only 
for  a  moment,  this  great  missionary.  His  letters,  alive 
with  zeal  and  enthusiasm  for  apostolic  work,  had  awakened 
our  interest.  We  had  imagined  him  an  energetic,  enter- 
prising, enthusiastic  man — but  not  at  all !  Before  us  stood 
a  venerable  priest,  calm  and  humble,  replying  modestly 
to  our  questions,  and  recounting  most  interestingly  his 
experiences.     Many  times,  it  seems,  he  had  miraculously 

7  Father  De  Smet  and  his  companions  left  for  America  with  nearly 
$30,000. 

8  Fathers  Joset  and  Zerbinati,  with  Brother  Magri. 


158     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

escaped  death.     'When  one  is  not  worthy  to  die,'  he  said, 
'one  escapes  easily.'" 

Bishop  Dehesselle  of  Namur  demurred  at  the  Sisters' 
request  that  they  might  join  the  Oregon  Mission,  but 
finally  gave  his  consent.  Six  Sisters  prepared  for  im- 
mediate departure.  But  how  would  it  be  possible  to 
expose  these  frail  women  to  the  many  dangers  and  hard- 
ships of  crossing  the  American  wilderness?  Father  De 
Smet  did  not  contemplate  such  an  undertaking,  and  de- 
cided, notwithstanding  the  long  journey,  to  double  Cape 
Horn  and  enter  Oregon  through  the  Columbia  River. 
An  Antwerp  boat,  the  Infatigable,  was  about  to  set  sail 
for  Valparaiso,  and  on  this  vessel  Father  De  Smet  engaged 
passage  for  the  Sisters  and  the  missionaries. 

The  party  set  out  from  Antwerp  December  12th.  Fogs 
and  contrary  winds  delayed  the  boat  nearly  a  month  in 
the  Schelde,  but  the  passengers  knew  how  to  employ  their 
leisure  profitably.  "All's  well  aboard,"  writes  Father  De 
Smet.  "We  have  a  trustworthy  skipper,  and  a  good  crew; 
the  Sisters  are  calm  and  contented,  the  Fathers  and 
Brothers  courageous  and  hopeful.  We  live  here  a  com- 
munity life;  every  one  is  occupied;  Father  Vercruysse 
gives  French  lessons  to  the  Italians,  and  I  am  teaching 
all  my  band  English."9 

At  last,  on  January  9th,  the  vessel  put  out  to  sea.  All 
"paid  tribute  to  inexorable  Neptune;"  but  a  voyage 
lasting  seven  months  brought  trials  other  than  seasickness 
to  the  missionaries,  not  the  least  of  these  being  monotony. 
Father  De  Smet,  indefatigable  traveler  that  he  was,  found 
it  interminably  long.  "Life  on  shipboard  is  dull  and 
tedious.  Nothing  but  water;  now  and  then  a  sail  on  the 
horizon,  or  some  sea-gulls  and  fish  distract  us  for  a  moment 
from  our  dreams  and  musings  on  the  far  away.  A  more 
serious  distraction  is  found  in  the  storms,  hurricanes,  reefs, 
and  steep  rocks;  and  when  the  vessel  is  beaten  about  at 
the  mercy  of  the  winds,  beyond  the  captain's  control,  we 
tremble  for  our  lives."10 

The  missionary's  thoughts  traveled  to  the  loved  ones 

'Letter  to  Charles  De  Smet,  on  board  the  Infatigable,  Dec.  25,  1843. 
10  Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  Valparaiso,  May  i,  1844. 


SECOND  VOYAGE  TO  EUROPE     159 

that  he  had  left  behind  for  the  third  time:  "Often  on  a 
calm,  clear  night  I  sit  on  deck  gazing  for  hours  at  the 
stars,  and  musing  upon  sweet  memories.  The  Belt  of 
Orion,  commonly  called  'the  Three  Kings,'  recalls  to  my 
mind  my  two  brothers  and  my  sister.  In  looking  at 
'Berenice's  Hair,'  I  imagine  myself  in  the  midst  of  the 
children  of  the  family;  I  see  and  hear  them;  they  climb 
upon  my  knees,  their  little  arms  around  my  neck;  you 
know  how  dearly  I  love  them."11 

As  they  doubled  Cape  Horn,  the  boat,  which  until  then 
had  stood  the  sea  extremely  well,  all  but  foundered. 
"From  the  2 2d  to  the  30th  of  March,"  writes  Father 
Vercruysse,  "we  experienced  a  furious  hurricane  which 
tore  even  the  furled  sails  into  ribbons,  and  drove  the  boat 
about  at  the  whim  of  the  wind.  Mountains  of  water 
towered  above  us.  The  captain  averred  it  was  the  severest 
storm  he  had  ever  encountered  in  his  thirty  years  at  sea. 
The  hatches  were  battened  down  one  entire  week,  and  we 
hardly  dared  creep  out  on  deck  even  for  an  instant  to 
gaze  upon  the  terrible  spectacle.  Death  stared  us  in  the 
face.  On  the  31st  the  waters  calmed,  and  we  breathed 
freely  once  more:  but  April  1st  found  the  storm  again  in 
full  blast,  the  wind  driving  us  steadily  upon  the  rock- 
bound  coast  of  Patagonia,  about  a  mile  distant.  All 
except  the  Sisters  remained  on  deck,  every  eye  fixed  on  the 
rocks  threatening  us  with  immediate  destruction.  Sud- 
denly the  captain's  cry,  'We  are  lost!  All  is  over!'  broke 
the  suspense.  But  God  seemed  to  say:  'I  am  watching 
over  you.' 

"Father  De  Smet  sought  out  the  nuns,  who  like  our- 
selves were  imploring  the  help  of  our  blessed  Mother. 
He  offered  to  hear  their  confessions,  telling  them  that 
nothing  short  of  a  miracle  could  save  the  vessel:  ship- 
wreck was  inevitable.  These  good  women  calmly  and 
cheerfully  replied  that  God  would  dispose  of  their  lives 
as  He  chose ;  that  they  awaited  with  resignation  the  accom- 
plishment of  His  divine  will. 

"It  was  eleven  o'clock  at  night;  the  waves  were  heard 
breaking  upon  the  reefs,  when  suddenly  the  wind  veered  to 
another  quarter,  driving  us  out  to  sea.     Had  the  wind  not 

"Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  St.  Mary  of  Willamette,  Oct.  9,  1844. 


i6o     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

changed  just  at  that  moment  we  certainly  should  have 
perished."12 

With  the  calming  of  the  sea,  the  Infatigable  resumed  her 
northerly  course,  stopping  at  Valparaiso  and  Callao. 
While  the  vessel  was  in  port,  the  missionaries  visited 
Santiago  and  Lima,  where  they  received  a  warm  welcome 
from  the  religious  orders.  The  captain  hoped  to  make 
Vancouver  in  twenty-five  days,  but  he  reckoned  without 
contrary  winds.  Forty  days  passed,  and  yet  no  land  in 
sight.  Provisions  began  to  run  low,  and  rations,  that 
according  to  Father  De  Smet  had  never  been  good  or 
abundant,  were  now  cut  down.  The  crew  grumbled; 
the  captain  fell  ill ;  still  more,  another  hurricane  threatened 
to  wreck  the  ship.  Father  De  Smet  exhorted  his  band 
to  storm  heaven  with  their  prayers.  "We  conceived  the 
happy  idea  of  making  a  vow,  and  sought  refuge  in  Mary's 
immaculate  heart,  resolved  to  spend  the  following  day  in 
retirement  and  examination  of  conscience. 

' '  The  fury  of  the  storm  lashed  the  sea  into  mountainous 
waves  that  rose  twenty-five  feet  above  the  vessel.  De- 
struction seemed  imminent.  We  all  made  good  confessions 
and  confidently  placed  our  lives  in  God's  hands.  Toward 
evening  I  went  on  deck  and  saw  a  sight  that  rejoiced 
my  heart.  Floating  on  the  water  was  a  seaweed  called 
Adam's  needle,  which  indicated  the  proximity  of  land. 
Gradually  the  wind  subsided,  and  once  more  we  took 
heart  and  hoped  to  see  land  soon. 

"On  July  28th  the  shores  of  Oregon  loomed  before  us. 
What  joy!  What  transports  of  delight!  What  words  of 
thanksgiving  in  our  hearts  and  on  our  lips !  What  emotion 
at  the  sight  of  this  vast  country,  where,  for  lack  of  mission- 
aries, thousands  of  men  are  born,  grow  to  manhood,  and  die 
in  the  darkness  of  infidelity !  But  now  through  our  efforts, 
the  greater  number,  if  not  all,  shall  know  the  truth."13 

But  the  spirit  of  evil  fought  desperately  to  delay  the 
landing  of  those  whose  conquest  it  dreaded.  "The  entry 
into  the  Columbia  is  a  difficult  and  dangerous  passage, 
even  with  charts,  and  our  captain  had  none.  As  we  ad- 
vanced, breakers  indicated  the   presence  of  a  sand  -  bar 

12  Account  of  the  voyage  addressed  to  Father  Broeckaert,  Lima,  May  20, 1 844. 

13  Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  St.  Mary  of  Willamette,  Oct.  9,  1844. 


SECOND  VOYAGE  TO  EUROPE     i6r 

several  miles  in  length :  a  reef  of  rocks  running  across  the 
river  seemed  to  impede  our  passage.14  It  was  July  31st, 
the  feast  of  St.  Ignatius,  and  this  coincidence  heartened 
us  and  renewed  our  courage.  Before  long  a  launch  taking 
soundings  came  alongside  the  Injatigable.  The  sailors' 
serious  faces  boded  no  good  news :  one  hardly  dared  ques- 
tion them,  but  the  lieutenant  informed  our  captain  that 
he  had  crossed  the  bar  in  five  fathoms  of  water.  Our 
sails  were  then  set  and  we  advanced  slowly  under  a  light 
breeze.  The  sky  was  blue  and  the  sun  shone  in  all  its 
glory;  not  for  a  long  time  had  we  had  such  a  day.  It 
only  wanted  now  our  safe  entry  into  the  river  to  make  it 
the  happiest  one  of  the  whole  journey.  As  the  boat  ad- 
vanced our  prayers  redoubled. 

"The  captain  began  taking  soundings.  Two  sailors 
lashed  to  the  side  of  the  vessel  called  out :  '  Seven  fathoms !' 
Every  five  minutes  the  same  call  was  heard:  then,  'Six 
fathoms!  Five  fathoms!'  the  number  always  decreasing. 
When  'Two  and  a  half  fathoms!'  was  heard,  hope  fled. 
But  God  was  trying  our  faith:  He  had  not  willed  our 
destruction.  The  cry,  'Four  fathoms!'  bade  us  hope  again : 
we  had  still  two  miles  of  breakers  to  pass,  and  again  our 
hearts  sank  when  we  heard  'Three  fathoms!'  At  this 
juncture  the  lieutenant  informed  our  captain  we  were  out 
of  the  channel.  'Nonsense!'  replied  our  skipper.  'The 
Injatigable  can  pass  anywhere!     Go  ahead!' 

"Heaven  was  certainly  with  us,  for  without  help  from 
on  high,  neither  the  captain's  skill,  nor  the  soundness  of 
the  boat,  nor  the  discipline  of  the  sailors  could  have  saved 
us  from  certain  death.  We  were  over  three  hundred  feet 
out  of  our  course  in  the  as  yet  untraveled  and  uncharted 
southern  channel.15  God  seemed  to  wish  to  teach  us  that 
although  He  exposes  us  to  danger,  His  power  can  save  us. 
Blessed  be  His  name!"16 

14  Since  then  the  Government  has  facilitated  the  entrance  into  the  Co- 
lumbia by  parallel  jetties,  which  concentrate  the  flow  over  the  bar,  and 
scour  out  a  deep  channel. 

15  "At  a  short  distance  from  its  mouth  the  Columbia  divides  into  two 
branches,  forming  two  channels.  The  northerly  one  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape 
Disappointment  is  the  one  we  should  have  taken ;  the  southern  one  is  avoided 
because  of  the  breakers  that  bar  its  entrance.  We  were  certainly  the  first 
and  probably  the  last  to  enter  it."     (Father  De  Smet,  letter  quoted.) 

16  Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  Oct.  9,  1844. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE    OREGON    MISSIONS    (1844-1846) 

The  Jesuits  and  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame  at  Willamete — St.  Francis  Xavier's 
Mission — Father  De  Smet,  Organizer  of  the  Missions — How  He  En- 
couraged and  Aided  His  Fellow-Missionaries — St.  Ignatius'  Mission  at 
the  Kalispels;  Father  Adrian  Hoecken — The  Sacred  Heart  Mission  at 
the  Cceur-d'Alenes;  Fathers  Point  and  Joset — Louise  Sighouin — 
Visit  to  St.  Mary's;  Fathers  Mengarini  and  Zerbinati — Jesuits'  Success 
at  Willamette;  Fathers  Accolti,  Ravalli,  Vercruysse,  and  De  Vos — 
Father  Nobili  is  Sent  to  New  Caledonia — Father  De  Smet's  Visit  to  the 
Chaudieres,  Flatbows,  and  Kootenais — The  Missions  of  St.  Paul, 
Colville,  St.  Peter  of  the  Lakes,  St.  Francis  Regis,  the  Assumption,  and 
the  Immaculate  Heart  of  Mary — Father  Ravalli  Goes  to  Join  Father 
Hoecken  at  St.  Ignatius'  Mission — How  Account  for  Father  De  Smet's 
Success? — A  Would-be  Murderer  who  Became  a  Model  Neophyte. 

BISHOP  BLANCHET  was  impatiently  awaiting  Father 
De  Smet's  return:  when  the  news  came  that  his  boat 
had  arrived,  he  left  St.  Paul's  Mission  and  hastened  to 
Vancouver.  The  Catholics,  though  busy  with  the  harvest, 
abandoned  their  fields,  and  embarking  in  boats,  descended 
the  Willamette;  each  one  wished  to  be  the  first  to  greet 
the  missionary  and  bring  him  back  in  triumph.  Upon 
their  return,  a  Te  Deum  was  intoned  in  the  mission 
church,  and  next  day,  the  feast  of  the  Assumption,  hymns 
of  thanksgiving  were  sung  in  honor  of  the  Queen  of  heaven, 
who  once  more  had  proved  herself  to  merit  the  title  of 
"Star  of  the  sea." 

The  Sisters  took  immediate  possession  of  the  convent 
that  had  been  built  for  them  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Willamette,  though  it  was  not  wholly  completed.  Doors 
and  windows  were  lacking,  but  the  Sisters  took  a  hand  with 
saw  and  plane,  and  even  undertook  the  glazing  and  paint- 
ing. After  a  few  weeks,  St.  Mary's  Convent  opened  its 
doors. 

The  Indians  and  Canadians  were  so  eager  for  instruction, 


THE  OREGON  MISSIONS  163 

that  while  awaiting  the  completing  of  the  building,  the 
Sisters  held  classes  for  women  and  children  in  the  open 
air,  and  prepared  them  for  first  communion.  Their  ages 
ranged  from  fifteen  to  sixty  years.  Many  of  these  poor 
creatures  came  from  great  distances,  carrying  a  few  days' 
provisions  with  them  and  sleeping  at  night  in  the  forest.1 

St.  Joseph's  College  for  young  men  was  simultaneously 
opened  by  Father  Bolduc,  a  late  arrival  from  Canada. 
Hearing  of  this,  the  Protestants  quickly  dispersed.  "It  is 
significant,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "that  the  same  boat 
that  brought  us  to  Vancouver  is  taking  the  Protestant 
ministers  and  their  wives  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  whence 
they  will  return  to  the  United  States.  After  years  of 
fruitless  efforts  to  draw  Catholic  children  from  their  faith, 
they  have  closed  their  school  and  quit  the  country,  leaving 
us  a  free  field."2 

The  Jesuits  were  desirous  of  establishing  a  training- 
school  for  young  men  near  the  Willamette,  which  would 
serve  also  as  a  central  depot  for  provisioning  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Missions,  and  for  this  purpose  Bishop  Blanchet 
offered  them  land.  A  salubrious  climate,  fertile  soil, 
forests,  and  a  diversified  and  imposing  landscape  made  the 
situation  a  particularly  advantageous  one  for  the  Jesuit 
foundation.  Father  De  Smet  beheld  in  it  a  second  Floris- 
sant. "I  hope,"  writes  he,  "that  after  the  example  of 
St.  Stanislaus'  Mission,  whose  influence  now  radiates  over 
a  large  portion  of  Missouri,  in  Ohio  and  Louisiana,  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  the  extreme  western  boundaries 
of  America,  there  will  be  established  here  one  day  a 
novitiate  for  missionaries  who — and  may  the  day  be  not 
far  distant! — will  labor  among  the  different  tribes  of  this 
vast  territory,  carrying  the  torch  of  faith."3 

Work  was  begun  at  once,  the  missionaries  and  Canadians 
rivaling  each  other  in  untiring  labors,  with  the  result  that 

1  Cf.  Notice  sur  le  Territoire  et  sur  la  mission  de  l'Oregon,  suivie  de 
quelques  lettres  des  Sceurs  de  Notre-Dame,  6tablies  a  S.-Paul  du  Willa- 
mette, Bruxelles,  1847. 

2  To  the  Mother  General  of  the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame,  Aug.  28,  1844. 

3  To  Francis  De  Smet,  Oct.  9,  1844.  The  missionary's  dream  was  only 
partly  realized;  the  great  distance  of  the  missions  from  one  another,  and 
the  hardships  and  difficulties  of  the  journeys,  rendered  the  new  foundation 
impracticable;   after  a  few  years  it  was  abandoned  by  the  Fathers. 


1 64     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

at  the  end  of  a  few  months  the  house  was  opened  under 
the  title  of  St.  Francis  Xavier. 

Father  De  Smet  set  out  once  more  to  cross  the  wilder- 
ness. An  extraordinary  initiative  characterized  his  apos- 
tolic labors.  Having  once  conceived  and  developed  his 
plans,  he  would  then  choose  a  site  for  a  new  station,  lay 
it  out,  and  start  the  work.  When  all  difficulties  had  been 
surmounted,  he  sought  other  fields  of  activity,  leaving  to 
his  colleagues  the  joy  and  satisfaction  of  completing  the 
mission.  From  the  end  of  1844  to  the  close  of  1846  was 
doubtless  the  most  fruitful  period  of  his  life.  During  these 
vears  he  crossed  and  recrossed  the  Western  United  States 
manv  times,  going  from  one  tribe  to  another,  instructing 
one  and  sustaining  another,  establishing  new  "reductions," 
and  departing,  once  the  foundation  was  laid  and  the  direc- 
tion of  affairs  could  be  left  to  others. 

While  the  Fathers  lately  arrived  from  Europe  were  oc- 
cupied in  studying  the  Indian  language  and  in  ministering 
to  the  Christians  on  the  Willamette,  Father  De  Smet 
journeyed  across  the  mountains  to  winter  with  the  Flat- 
heads.'  On  November  6th  he  entered  the  Kalispel  valley, 
where  he  found  Father  Adrian  Hoecken  carrying  on  the 
work  he  had  begun  in  1841. 

"I  was  received  in  camp  with  the  ringing  of  bells  and  dis- 
charge of  musketry.  The  accounts  the  young  missionary 
gave  me  of  the  tribe  show  the  work  of  grace  in  a  people 
sincerely  seeking  truth. 

'"We  have  no  brilliant  qualities  of  mind,'  the  Indians 
told  him,  'but  in  default  of  intelligence  we  possess  docility. 
Now  that  a  Black  Robe  has  come  among  us,  we  listen  to 
him  and  obey  him;  his  orders  are  executed  without 
delay.'"4 

The  missionary  was  energetically  seconded  in  his  apos- 
tolic labors  by  the  old  chief,  Loyola.  "So  long  as  a  breath 
of  life  remains  in  me,"  he  said,  "every  man  here  must  live 
uprightly."  The  spirit  of  fraternity  and  mutual  respect 
existing  'among  the  members  of  this  tribe  recall  those  happy- 
days  spoken  of  in  Holy  Writ,  when  Christians  had  but  one 
heart  and  one  soul. 

*  Letter  to  Madam  Parmentier  of  Brooklyn,  St.  Ignatius'  Mission,  July 
25.  1846. 


THE  OREGON  MISSIONS  165 

But  winter  was  coming  on,  and  our  missionary  must  get 
to  St.  Mary's  before  the  cold  set  in.  Father  De  Smet  had 
hardly  taken  leave  of  the  Kalispels  when  he  encountered  a 
deputation  from  the  Cceur  d'Alenes,  who  had  come  to  beg 
him  to  visit  their  tribe.  He  accepted,  not  having  the  heart 
to  refuse  them,  and  hoped  he  would  still  be  able  to  cross 
the  Bitter  Root  Mountains  before  the  trail  had  become 
impassable. 

Father  Point  had  been  two  years  with  the  Cceur  d'Alenes. 
He  had  arrived  there  the  first  Friday  of  the  month  and, 
on  that  day,  had  placed  the  mission  under  the  protection 
of  the  Sacred  Heart.  "From  that  moment,"  he  writes, 
""a  Christian  spirit  animated  the  inhabitants  of  this  happy 
valley.  The  nightly  gatherings,  sacrilegious  ceremonies,  and 
diabolical  apparitions  formerly  so  frequent,  have  now  been 
done  away  with.  Gambling,  hitherto  the  absorbing  occu- 
pation of  the  Indians,  has  also  been  abandoned.  Mar- 
riage, which  for  centuries  knew  neither  unity  nor  indis- 
solubility, has  been  restored  to  its  pristine  purity.  From 
Christmas  until  the  feast  of  the  Purification,  the  mission- 
ary's fire  was  made  with  the  remains  of  their  sorcery."5 

When  Father  Point  arrived  at  the  mission,  he  had  drawn 
the  plan  of  the  village,  and  the  Indians  had  set  to  work  to 
fell  trees,  dig  ponds,  make  roads,  and  till  the  soil.  A 
church  was  erected  in  the  center  of  the  settlement,  and 
the  religious  celebrations  acquainted  the  new  converts 
with  the  solemnity  and  appeal  of  the  new  faith. 

Father  Joset,  who  came  shortly  to  share  Father  Point's 
labors,  was  destined  to  pass  many  }Tears  of  fruitful  apos- 
tolic work  in  the  mountains.6  The  neophytes'  fervor  daily 
increased,  and  Father  Point  tells  us  that  "For  several 
months  not  one  grave  offence  has  been  committed  in  the 
Sacred  Heart  village,  at  least  not  among  those  who  have 
received  baptism."7 

6  Letter  to  one  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers,  quoted  by  Father  De  Smet:  "Mission 
de  l'Oregon,"  p.  240,  et  seq." 

6  An  account  of  Father  Joset  is  found  in  The  Woodstock  Letters,  Nov., 
1901,  p.  207. 

7  "It  requires  exceptional  virtue  on  the  part  of  the  aged  to  become  the 
pupils  of  their  young  children,  and  on  the  part  of  the  children  to  be  patient 
and  serious  preceptors  of  their  aged  fathers;  on  the  part  of  mothers  of  families, 
who,  not  content  with  giving  their  children  the  food  they  deprive  them- 
selves of,  pass  long  evenings  in  making  known  the  divine  word  to  relatives, 


1 66     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

The  faith  and  piety  of  this  mission  was  due  in  large 
measure  to  Louise  Sighouin,  a  zealous  Christian  baptized 
by  Father  De  Smet  in  1842.  Although  a  daughter  of  the 
chief  of  the  Cceur  d'Alenes,  she  had  left  all  to  devote  herself 
to  the  service  of  the  missions.  "I  am  ready,"  she  said, 
"to  follow  the  Black  Robes  to  the  end  of  the  earth;  my 
sole  desire  is  to  know  the  Great  Spirit,  to  serve  Him  faith- 
fully, and  to  adore  Him  with  all  my  heart."  Not  only  was 
she  an  example  of  piety  and  modesty  to  the  tribe,  but  she 
spent  hours  every  day  teaching  the  children  and  old 
people  and  in  visiting  the  poor  and  nursing  the  sick. 
Once  she  recoiled  at  the  sight  of  a  dreadful  ulcer,  then, 
filled  with  compunction  for  what  she  considered  a  grave 
fault,  she  returned  to  the  invalid  every  day  for  two  months 
and,  like  a  veritable  Sister  of  Charity,  dressed  the  wound. 
Nor  did  she  hesitate  to  make  war  on  disorderly  conduct. 
She  faced  the  most  redoubtable  sorcerers,  denouncing  them 
as  impostors,  and  through  threatening  them  with  God's 
judgments,  finally  brought  the  culprits,  trembling  and 
contrite,  to  the  feet  of  the  missionary. 

When  Father  De  Smet  arrived  at  the  mission,  the 
Cceur  d'Alenes  were  preparing  for  their  first  communion, 

friends,  and  even  strangers,  eager  to  hear  them;  for  young  men,  who  repeat 
a  hundred  times  to  their  less  intelligent  companions,  things  the  meaning 
of  which  they  grasped  at  first  hearing,  and  who  spend  whole  nights  in  teach- 
ing the  deaf  and  blind,  who  were  the  despair  of  the  Black  Robe.  And  chiefs, 
true  fathers  and  pastors  of  their  people,  rise  at  dawn,  and  even  in  the  night 
in  cold,  inclement  weather,  to  arouse  souls  from  their  torpor.  Hence  is  it 
astonishing  that  the  faith  and  piety  of  these  humble  souls  should  have 
more  than  once  obtained  extraordinary  favors? 

"One  morning,"  says  Father  Point,  "upon  leaving  the  church  I  met 
an  Indian  woman,  who  said,  'So-and-so  is  not  well.'  She  was  not  yet  a 
catechumen  and  I  said  I  would  go  to  see  her.  An  hour  later  the  same  person, 
her  sister,  came  to  me  saying  she  was  dead.  I  ran  to  the  tent,  hoping  she 
might  be  mistaken,  and  found  a  crowd  of  relatives  around  the  bed,  repeating, 
'She  is  dead — she  has  not  breathed  for  some  time.'  To  assure  myself, 
I  leaned  over  the  body;  there  was  no  sign  of  life.  I  reproved  these  excellent 
people  for  not  telling  me  at  once  of  the  gravity  of  the  situation,  adding,  '  May 
God  forgive  me!'  Then,  rather  impatiently,  I  said,  'Pray!'  and  all  fell  on 
their  knees  and  prayed  devoutly. 

"I  again  leaned  over  the  supposed  corpse  and  said,  'The  Black  Robe  is 
here:  do  you  wish  him  to  baptize  you?'  At  the  word  baptism  I  saw  a 
slight  tremor  of  the  lower  lip;  then  both  lips  moved,  making  me  certain 
that  she  understood.  She  had  already  been  instructed,  so  I  at  once  baptized 
her,  and  she  rose  from  her  bier,  making  the  sign  of  the  cross.  .  .  .  To- 
day she  is  out  hunting  and  is  fully  persuaded  that  she  died  at  the  time  I 
have  recounted."     (Letter  quoted.) 


THE  OREGON  MISSIONS  167 

which  they  were  to  make  in  a  few  weeks.  Night  and 
day  the  camp  resounded  with  prayers  and  hymns.  Such 
piety  and  edifying  conduct  were  a  great  consolation  to 
Father  De  Smet,  and  his  joy  would  have  been  great  could 
he  have  led  to  the  holy  table  those  upon  whom  he  had 
lately  poured  the  waters  of  baptism:  but  it  had  been 
snowing  several  days  and  he  could  not  delay,  as  he  had 
to  cross  the  mountains  that  lay  between  him  and  the 
country  of  the  Flatheads. 

He  set  out  from  the  Sacred  Heart  Mission  with  an 
escort  of  four  Indian  guides,  who  were  to  accompany 
him  as  far  as  St.  Mary's.  The  season  was  already  far 
advanced.  It  snowed  and  rained  incessantly,  and  torrents, 
ever  increasing  in  volume  rushed  down  the  mountainsides. 
After  marching  for  eight  days  he  was  forced  to  return. 

"In  a  night,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "tiny  rivulets  be- 
came raging  torrents,  arresting  my  progress  at  every  step. 
At  the  price  of  great  suffering,  many  falls  and  duckings, 
we  finally  reached  the  St.  Ignatius  River.  It  had  risen 
more  than  ten  feet,  carrying  along  with  it  huge  trees, 
which  rendered  my  passage  extremely  dangerous.  Once 
I  sank  with  my  mule,  but  I  clung  to  the  beast  and  he 
dragged  me  to  the  opposite  bank. 

"At  night  we  camped  in  the  shadow  of  a  huge  cross 
erected  by  an  Indian  chief.  As  the  river  had  not  yet 
overflowed  its  banks,  we  retired  for  the  night  with  a 
certain  feeling  of  security,  but  before  morning  one  of 
the  men  awoke  to  find  his  legs  in  water;  putting  his  head 
out  of  the  tent  he  gave  the  alarm.  It  was  none  too  soon, 
for  we  found  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  a  huge  lake,  the 
land  being  inundated  for  miles. 

"Here  again,  as  on  former  occasions,  Providence  came  to 
our  aid.  Two  canoes  had  been  left  at  the  place  of  our 
encampment,  and  thus  we  were  able  to  take  refuge,  with 
our  arms  and  baggage,  upon  a  hill  two  miles  distant.  I 
sent  one  of  my  guides  to  the  mission  to  inform  them  of  my 
mishap.  Two  days  later  five  canoes  commanded  by  two 
chiefs  came  to  my  assistance  and  brought  us  back  to  the 
village."8 

The  Indians  blessed  the  accident  that  had  given  them 

8  Journal  of  the  autumn  of  1844. 


1 68     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

back  the  missionary,  but  the  intrepid  Father  De  Smet  did 
not  abandon  his  project.  Now  that  the  mountains  were 
impassable,  he  determined  to  reach  St.  Mary's  through 
the  Kalispel  valley,  and  it  looked  for  a  time  as  though 
he  might  succeed.  But  as  it  was  then  the  middle  of 
December,  the  Clarke  River  began  to  freeze  over,  and  the 
Indians  in  charge  of  the  canoes  declared  that  to  continue 
was  to  advance  to  certain  death.  Father  Mengarini  had 
written  that  he  had  nearly  perished  in  the  flood  and  had 
lost  twelve  horses  in  the  forest.  Then  only  did  Father 
De  Smet  decide  to  return  to  the  Kalispels  and  to  wait 
until  spring  before  attempting  to  reach  the  Flatheads. 
"The  Indians  put  their  best  tent  at  my  disposal  and 
endeavored  in  every  way  to  render  my  stay  in  their  midst 
as  agreeable  as  circumstances  would  permit.  On  Christ- 
mas day  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  adults  received 
baptism:  a  few  minutes  before  midnight  a  pistol-shot 
rang  out  in  the  night,  followed  by  a  discharge  of  musketry 
in  honor  of  the  Child  Jesus,  and  three  hundred  voices  in 
the  forest  intoned  in  the  language  of  the  tribe  that  beauti- 
ful hymn: 

"  The  Almighty's  glory  all  things  proclaim!" 

Immediately,  the  throng  of  worshipers  crowded  into  the 
humble  chapel  constructed  of  trunks  of  trees,  straw,  and 
bark.  Pine  branches,  interspersed  with  wreaths  and  gar- 
lands of  green,  decorated  the  interior,  and  above  the 
simple  altar  hung  a  paper  star  with  a  profusion  of  streamers 
that  attracted  the  eyes  of  the  Indians. 

' '  I  celebrated  High  Mass  at  midnight,  at  which  the  con- 
gregation chanted  Christmas  hymns,  and  never  did  the 
words  of  the  Gloria  seem  more  appropriate:  'Peace  on 
earth  to  men  of  good  will.'  Breakfast  followed  the  Mass, 
and  the  joyousness  of  the  reunion  resembled  the  love- 
feasts  of  the  early  Christians.  Later  the  catechumens 
presented  themselves  in  the  church  to  receive  baptism. 
The  old  men  and  women  I  had  baptized  two  years  before, 
still  preserving  their  baptismal  innocence,  acted  as  god- 
fathers and  godmothers. 

"Not  in  vain  did  the  priest  pronounce  those  sublime 
words  of  the  ritual:    'Receive  the  white  garment  which 


THE  OREGON  MISSIONS  169 

you  will  bring  without  blemish  to  God's  tribunal,  that  you 
may  enter  into  eternal  life,'  for  he  had  the  certainty  that 
the  larger  part  of  the  catechumens  would  preserve  their 
innocence  until  death.  When  asked  later  on  if  they  had 
offended  God  and  if  their  consciences  were  free  of  all  re- 
proach, they  replied,  'How  can  you  ask,  Father!  In 
baptism  I  renounced  evil.  Is  it  not  fitting  that  I  should 
shun  it  ?  Even  the  thought  of  displeasing  the  Great  Spirit 
makes  me  tremble.' 

"In  the  evening  solemn  benediction  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  was  given  for  the  first  time.  After  this  cere- 
mony, fifty  couples,  fathers  and  mothers  of  families,  some 
of  them  over  eighty  years  of  age,  came  forward  to  renew 
their  marriage  vows.  I  could  not  restrain  the  tears,  so 
deeply  was  I  affected  by  the  sincerity  and  affection  with 
which  they  promised  henceforth  to  have  but  one  heart. 

"After  the  last  instruction,  prayers  of  thanksgiving  were 
said  for  the  favors  received  during  the  day,  and  although 
it  was  getting  late,  prayers  continued  to  be  said  and 
hymns  sung  in  every  lodge."9 

At  the  first  sign  of  spring  Father  De  Smet  set  out  again 
for  St.  Mary's,  where  this  time  he  arrived  without  ad- 
venture and  was  received  by  Fathers  Mengarini  and 
Zerbinati.  Great  was  their  joy  in  welcoming  the  founder 
of  the  mission!  A  missionary's  life  in  the  mountains  was 
an  isolated  one.  Perhaps  once  a  year  he  got  news  of  the 
outside  world,  and  then  only  at  the  price  of  a  dangerous 
journey  to  Vancouver,  whither  he  went  under  escort  to 
provision  the  camp.  It  even  happened  that  he  did  not 
receive  letters  that  had  been  sent  him;  the  letter  from 
France  transferring  Father  Point  to  Canada  was  three  years 
in  reaching  him. 

Father  De  Smet  regaled  the  missionaries  with  accounts 
of  his  visit  to  Europe  and  to  Rome;  he  recounted  his  re- 
ception by  the  Father  General  and  by  Gregory  XVI, 
who  had  deigned  to  bless  the  mission  in  Oregon.  He 
recalled  the  incidents  of  his  recent  voyage  from  Antwerp 
to  Willamette,  the  founding  of  St.  Francis  Xavier's,  and 
lastly  the  religious  celebration  at  which  he  had  assisted 
among  the  Cceur  d'Alenes  and  Kalispels. 

9  Letter  to  Madam  Parmentier,  St.  Ignatius,  July  25,  1846. 
12 


i7o    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  SJ. 

The  Flatheads  also  had  remained  faithful  to  their  baptis- 
mal vows.  The  whole  tribe  approached  the  holy  table 
at  the  Mass  said  on  Easter  by  Father  De  Smet,  and  a 
choir  of  young  men  under  Father  Mengarini's  direction 
sang  several  songs  by  the  best  German  and  Italian  com- 
posers. 

St.  Francis  Borgia's  mission  of  the  Pend  d'Oreilles  10 
had  been  annexed  to  St.  Mary's  Mission,  and  three  hundred 
of  the  tribe,  mostly  adults,  had  presented  themselves  for 
baptism.  Upon  their  lined  and  scarred  foreheads  was 
poured  the  water  that  confers  eternal  life,  and  these  souls 
were  gained  for  God. 

Father  Hoecken  was  awaiting  Father  De  Smet's  return 
before  beginning  the  foundation  of  a  "reduction"  that 
was  to  be  placed  under  the  patronage  of  St.  Ignatius; 
so  with  many  regrets  the  indefatigable  apostle  took  leave 
of  St.  Mary's  Mission  to  return  to  the  Kalispels.  With 
the  consent  of  the  chiefs,  he  chose  a  vast  plain  bordered 
with  cedars  and  pines.  The  fertile  soil,  abundant  pas- 
turage, rich  quarries,  and  a  waterfall,  from  which  power 
could  be  obtained  both  for  a  flour  and  a  saw  mill,  made  it 
a  most  favorable  situation  for  the  new  foundation. 

Father  De  Smet  drew  the  plans  of  the  village,  superin- 
tended the  beginning  of  the  work,  and  then  went  by 
water  to  Vancouver  to  provision  the  new  colony.  Swollen 
by  the  melting  snow,  the  river  had  become  a  raging  torrent 
in  which  four  Americans  had  recently  been  engulfed. 
The  missionary  ran  the  risk  of  being  caught  in  a  whirlpool 
similar  to  the  one  in  which  his  crew  had  been  lost  three 
years  before ;  but  trusting  in  Providence  he  embarked,  and 
five  days  later  arrived  safely  at  Vancouver,  where  he  was 
received  by  Father  Nobili.  That  zealous  missionary  had 
learned  the  language  of  the  country  and  was  exercising  a 
fruitful  ministry  among  the  employees  of  the  fort  and  the 
neighboring  Indians. 

10  The  Pend  d'Oreilles  or  Kalispels  comprised,  as  we  have  seen,  two  prin- 
cipal groups:  the  Kalispels  of  the  Mountains,  belonging  to  St.  Francis  Borgia's 
Mission,  north  of  St.  Mary's,  and  the  Kalispels  of  the  Bay,  belonging  to 
St.  Ignatius'  Mission,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Clarke.  The  two  missions 
were  united  in  1854  near  the  Flathead  Lake  under  the  name  of  St.  Ignatius. 

In  order  to  avoid  confusion  we  will  continue  to  call  the  Pend  d'Oreilles 
the  Indians  of  the  Mountains;   those  of  the  Bay,  the  Kalispels. 


THE  OREGON  MISSIONS  171 

The  two  missionaries  traveled  up  the  Willamette  to 
St.  Francis  Xavier's  Mission,  where  they  were  warmly 
welcomed  by  the  Fathers,  who  expressed  their  joy  at 
meeting  once  again  their  intrepid  chief,  Father  De  Smet. 
He  had  crossed  the  whole  of  Oregon  during  the  past 
eight  months,  preparing  for  each  priest  his  field  of  apostolic 
work. 

Father  Accolti  was  the  Superior  of  an  active  band  of 
missionaries,  while  Father  Ravalli's  knowledge  of  medicine 
rendered  great  service  to  the  sick  of  that  region.  Father 
Vercruysse  had  founded  a  new  parish  and  built  a  church 
for  the  Canadians  of  the  Grand  Prairie,  south  of  St. 
Francis  Xavier's  Mission,  and  Father  De  Vos  had  made 
many  converts  among  the  Protestants. 

Adding  these  results  to  those  obtained  by  the  Fathers 
of  the  mountain  missions  and  the  Canadian  missionaries, 
Father  De  Smet  calculated  that  over  six  thousand  souls 
in  Oregon  had  received  baptism  in  six  years.  "The 
grain  of  mustard  seed,"  he  writes,  "grows  apace,  and 
extends  its  branches  over  this  heretofore  sterile  and 
neglected  land."11 

In  1842  Father  Demers,  assistant  to  Bishop  Blanchet, 
made  a  journey  to  New  Caledonia,  six  hundred  miles  north 
of  Vancouver,12  during  which  he  baptized  seven  hun- 
dred children.  Since  that  time  the  inhabitants  had 
ardently  desired  religious  instruction,  and  although  with- 
out a  priest,  they  built  three  churches  in  the  hope  that 
one  day  a  missionary  would  come  to  settle  among  them. 
To  this  mission  Father  Nobili  was  appointed,  and  proved 
himself  worthy  of  the  confidence  of  his  Superior. 

Born  in  Rome,  young  Nobili  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus 
at  the  age  of  sixteen.  Through  his  literary  talent  he  soon 
achieved  distinction,  and  after  his  ordination  obtained 
permission  to  consecrate  his  life  to  the  conversion  of  the 
Indians.  We  shall  soon  see  the  wonderful  fruit  of  his  apos- 
tolic labors.  When  June  was  drawing  to  a  close,  Father  De 
Smet  started  for  the  mountains  with  a  train  of  eleven 
horses,  laden  with  plows,  spades,  hoes,  saws,  and  every 
sort  of  implement  for  St.  Ignatius'  Mission.     In  crossing 

11  Letter  to  Bishop  Hughes,  St.  Francis  Xavier's  Mission,  June  20,  1845. 

12  New  Caledonia,  here  spoken  of,  is  to-day  British  Columbia. 


172     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

the  Cascade  Range,  he  came  upon  heaps  of  bones  of  dead 
animals,  the  melancholy  remains  of  a  caravan  that  had 
been  lost  in  the  snow  or  buried  in  an  avalanche. 

The  following  month  found  him  among  the  Kalispels. 
During  his  absence  the  neophytes  had  increased  to  more 
than  four  hundred.  Several  wooden  houses  had  been 
built,  the  material  prepared  for  constructing  a  church,  and 
a  large  tract  of  farming  land  was  already  enclosed.  The 
men  were  adepts  in  the  use  of  the  plow  and  axe,  and  it 
was  evident  the  Indians  had  abandoned  the  nomad  life 
for  the  regular  pursuits  of  the  colony. 

The  future  of  this  "reduction"  was  assured,  and  the 
time  had  now  come  to  seek  out  and  carry  the  Gospel  to 
new  tribes. 

Three  years  before,  Father  De  Smet  had  met,  near 
Fort  Colville,  Indians  athirst  for  the  knowledge  of  the 
Great  Spirit.  Hence  he  repaired  first  to  this  tribe,  taking 
with  him  several  Kalispels  to  act  as  choristers  and  cate- 
chists. 

"Near  the  Falls  of  the  Columbia,"  he  writes,  "from 
eight  to  nine  hundred  Indians,  Chaudieres,  Okinagans, 
Sinpoils,  and  Zingomenes,  had  gathered  for  the  salmon- 
fishing.  Upon  a  rock  overlooking  the  river  I  erected  my 
little  bark  chapel,  around  which  were  grouped  the  Indians' 
huts,  like  a  covey  seeking  shelter  under  the  mother's  wing. 

"Never  were  people  so  hungry  for  the  divine  word, 
and  to  nourish  and  sustain  such  happy  dispositions  I 
gave  several  instructions,  which  were  listened  to  with 
eager  attention.  I  chose  the  feast  of  St.  Ignatius  for  the 
closing  of  the  religious  exercises,  when  over  a  hundred 
children  and  eleven  old  people  were  baptized.  Many 
of  the  latter,  who  were  carried  on  buffalo  hides,  seemed 
only  to  await  this  grace  before  going  to  rest  in  the  bosom 
of  God. 

"The  oldest  neophyte,  nearly  a  hundred  years  old  and 
blind,  said  to  me:  'My  life  has  been  a  long  one,  and  for 
many  years  I  have  wept  without  ceasing  for  the  loss  of 
my  children  and  friends.  I  am  now  alone,  and  live  as  a 
stranger  among  my  tribe,  with  only  sad  and  bitter  memo- 
ries for  companions.     Yet  I  have  one  consolation — I  have 


THE  OREGON  MISSIONS  173 

always  avoided  bad  company,  my  hands  are  clean  of  thiev- 
ing, quarrels,  and  murder.  To-day  the  Great  Spirit  has 
taken  pity  on  me;  I  am  happy  and  I  offer  Him  my  heart 
and  life.'"13 

Here  Father  De  Smet  founded  a  mission  which  he  called 
St.  Paul's.  Another  one,  St.  Peter's,  was  established  a  little 
farther  north  for  the  Indians  inhabiting  the  lake  regions. 

On  August  4th  our  missionary  left  the  P'alls  of  the 
Columbia,  accompanied  by  several  half-breeds  who  wished 
him  to  inspect  a  place  they  had  chosen  for  a  Christian 
foundation  between  the  St.  Ignatius  and  the  Sacred  Heart 
Missions.  Many  hunters  wished  to  settle  there  with  their 
families.  Finding  the  site  a  favorable  one,  Father  De 
Smet  drew  up  the  plans  for  a  new  "reduction,"  which  he 
named  St.  Francis  Regis. 

There  remained  the  Flatbows  and  the  Kootenais,  whom 
no  priest  had  ever  visited,  so  he  decided  to  go  to  them  and 
prepare  the  way  for  missionaries.  After  hewing  his  path 
through  dense  forests,  frightful  marshes,  and  swollen 
rivers,  he  finally  arrived  at  the  first  of  these  camps.14 
The  Flatbows  numbered  about  ninety  families.  Thanks 
to  a  worthy  Canadian  who  had  lived  among  them  for  many 
years,  they  were  already  acquainted  with  the  great  truths 
of  religion,  they  knew  several  hymns  in  French  and  in  their 
native  tongue,  and  all  were  desirous  of  becoming  Christians. 

"This  year,"  writes  the  missionary,  "as  in  preceding 
ones  I  have  passed  among  the  Indians,  the  feast  of  the 
Assumption  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  was  for  me  a  day  of 
happiness  and  consolation.  I  celebrated  the  first  Mass 
ever  said  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and  afterward  baptized 
ninety-two  children  and  ten  adults  advanced  in  years. 
In  the  evening  the  cross  was  erected,  the  standard  of  the 
Saviour  being  planted  on  the  shore  of  the  lake  to  the 
salvo  of  eighty  guns.     At  its  foot,  the  entire  tribe  offered 

13  Letter  to  Father  Joset,  Sept.  9,  1845. 

14  "  The  Flatbows  are  ignorant  of  industry,  the  arts,  and  science,  and  share 
in  common  the  fruits  of  the  earth.  Like  all  Indians,  they  are  improvident, 
and  are  either  reveling  in  abundance  or  on  the  verge  of  famine.  One  day 
they  feast  until  gorged,  then  for  several  succeeding  days  abstain  entirely  from 
food.  These  two  extremes  are  equally  pernicious,  judging  from  the  cadaver- 
ous, blank  faces  I  see  among  them."  (Letter  to  Bishop  Hughes,  Station 
of  the  Assumption,  Aug.  17,  1845.) 


174     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

their  hearts  to  the  Great  Spirit,  promising  inviolable 
attachment  to  our  holy  religion,  and  they  destroyed  what 
remained  of  their  ancient  superstitions."15 

This  station  was  called  the  Assumption,  and  here,  as 
everywhere  that  Father  De  Smet  penetrated,  civilization 
marched  hand  in  hand  with  faith,  for  he  made  these  Indians 
understand  the  advantages  of  tilling  the  soil,  and  promised 
to  furnish  them  seeds  and  farming  implements.  Thanking 
God  for  the  wonders  of  grace  worked  in  their  souls,  he 
directed  his  steps  to  the  country  of  the  Kootenais. 

"This,"  says  our  traveler,  "is  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  the 
wilderness !  The  forest  is  so  dense,  that  if  the  guide  gets  a 
few  steps  ahead,  he  is  completely  hidden.  In  order  not  to 
lose  one's  way  one  must  abandon  himself  to  the  instinct 
of  the  horse,  who  follows  the  tracks  of  the  wild  beasts 
through  the  wood.  Had  I  not  resorted  to  this  shift,  I 
would  have  lost  my  road  completely.  These  somber 
places  engender  gloomy  thoughts;  one  seems  condemned 
to  never  emerge  from  these  labyrinthine  haunts  of  bears 
and  panthers. 

"The  path  winds  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  stream, 
which  follows  in  one  place  a  mountain  gorge,  or  rather  a 
precipice  of  appalling  height.  Amid  such  obstacles  one 
must  travel  for  a  distance  of  eight  miles,  scaling,  by  the 
aid  of  a  pickaxe,  steep  declivities,  awe-inspiring  heights,  and 
long  and  narrow  sloping  banks.  At  each  step  the  danger  is 
so  evident  that  the  blood  freezes  in  one's  veins  and  a  cold 
sweat  breaks  out.  After  each  crossing  I  thanked  God  as 
though  I  had  just  escaped  death  and  its  agonies."16 

Father  De  Smet  had  met,  in  the  spring  of  1842,  several 
Kootenais  families  living  on  the  borders  of  the  Clarke 
River,  hence  his  present  arrival  was  greeted  by  a  discharge 
of  musketry  and  lively  manifestations  of  joy.  "They 
showed  me  their  diaries,  which  were  long,  narrow,  oblong 
boards  or  sticks,  upon  which  they  had  marked  the  days 
and  weeks  since  they  had  first  met  me.  Forty-one  months 
and  some  days  had  already  been  counted." 

From  the  Canadian  who  had  lived  for  years  with  the 
Flatbows,  the  Kootenais  had  learned  the  first  elements  of 

15  Letter  quoted. 

16  Letter  to  Bishop  Hughes,  Flatbow  [Kootenai]  River,  Sept.  3,  1845. 


THE  OREGON  MISSIONS  175 

religion.17     They  sang  hymns,  said  morning  and  evening 
prayers  in  common,  and  observed  strictly  the  Lord's  Day. 

"On  the  feast  of  the  Immaculate  Heart  of  Mary," 
writes  our  missionary,  "I  sang  High  Mass,  and  in  God's 
name  took  possession  of  the  new  land  visited  for  the  first 
time  by  a  Catholic  priest.  Afterward  I  baptized  one 
hundred  and  five  souls,  of  whom  twenty  were  adults. 
Following  the  order  of  ceremonies  I  had  observed  with  the 
Flatbows,  the  day  ended  with  the  planting  of  the  cross. 
It  was  raised  on  high,  and  saluted  by  a  discharge  of  all  the 
guns  in  the  camp.  Then  came  the  tribe  in  procession, 
headed  by  their  chiefs,  who  prostrated  themselves  at  the 
foot  of  the  tree  of  salvation,  and  in  a  loud  voice  offered 
their  hearts  to  Him  whom  they  called  their  Master,  the 
divine  Pastor  of  souls.  This  station  was  called  the  Im- 
maculate Heart  of  Mary."18 

It  is  difficult  to  estimate  at  their  full  value  the  prodig- 
ious labors  of  our  missionary.  During  six  weeks'  travel  in 
an  unknown  country,  through  dense  forests  wherein  he 
made  his  way  with  the  utmost  difficulty,  he  had  baptized 
over  three  hundred  souls  and  had  founded  five  new  sta- 
tions. In  order  to  assure  the  future  of  these  Christians, 
Father  Ravalli  was  sent  to  share  Father  Hoecken's  labors. 
The  new  posts  were  grouped  in  a  relatively  small  area 
around  St.  Ignatius'  Mission,  thus  enabling  the  Fathers 
to  go  from  one  to  the  other  to  complete  the  instruction  of 
the  neophytes. 

Nearly  all  the  Oregon  tribes  now  had  missionaries,  and 
those  who  were  deprived  of  a  resident  priest  were  visited 
by  the  neighboring  Fathers.  The  valleys  were  dotted 
with  charming  villages,  and  from  the  center  of  each  rose 
"the  lodge  of  prayer."  The  evening  breezes  wafted  melo- 
dious Christian  hymns  that  delighted  and  astonished  the 
approaching  traveler.  Before  the  end  of  another  year, 
the  increasing  number  of  the  faithful  necessitated  the 
foundation  of  two  new  dioceses.19 

17  The  Flatbows  and  Kootenais  were  two  tribes  belonging  to  the  Skalzi 
family.  18  Letter  quoted. 

19  In  July,  1846,  Bishop  Blanchet  was  appointed  Archbishop  of  Oregon 
City.  His  suffragans  were  Bishop  Demers  of  Vancouver  Island,  and  Bishop 
A.  M.  A.  Blanchet  (his  brother),  first  Bishop  of  Walla  Walla.  The  last- 
named  See  was  transferred  in  1850  to  Nesqually. 


176     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

With  his  soul  inundated  with  joy,  Father  De  Smet 
thanked  God  for  having  chosen  him  to  be  the  instrument 
of  His  designs.  "I  believe  firmly  in  the  hundredfold 
promised  by  Our  Saviour.  What  we  have  given  up  in  this 
world  is  as  nothing  compared  to  what  we  have  found  and 
experienced  in  the  wilderness."20 

How  is  the  phenomenal  success  of  these  missions  to  be 
explained?  Many  of  the  Indians  possessed  admirable 
natural  virtues;  they  but  needed  to  know  Christianity  to 
embrace  it.21  Even  the  most  degraded  had  preserved 
a  high  ideal  of  the  greatness  of  the  power  of  God.  Blas- 
phemy was  unknown  among  them:  not  presuming  to  ad- 
dress the  "Great  Spirit,"  they  entreated  their  manitous 
to  intercede  for  them.  Superstition  if  you  will,  but  be- 
neath it  was  a  religious  sentiment  which  the  missionary 
had  only  to  enlighten  and  direct.  None  held  back  through 
false  pride  or  prejudice.  Even  the  Sioux,  the  proudest 
of  the  Western  tribes,  compared  themselves  to  children 
bereft  of  a  father's  guiding  hand,  and  to  the  ignorant 
animals  of  the  prairie,  and  with  touching  humility  begged 
the  missionary  to  "take  pity  on  them." 

Such  elevated,  upright  souls  could,  moreover,  appreciate 
the  chastity  of  the  Catholic  priesthood.  With  rare  dis- 
cernment, the  Indian  understood  that,  belonging  as  he 
does  to  all  men,  a  priest  cannot  give  himself  to  one  per- 
son, and  not  for  an  instant  did  they  hesitate  to  choose  the 
Black  Robe,  who  had  consecrated  his  life  to  them,  rather 
than  the  minister  in  lay  dress,  installed  in  a  comfortable 
home  with  wife  and  children,  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
his  family,  giving  only  the  time  that  remained  to  dis- 
tributing Bibles.22 

Father  De  Smet  was  a  man  specially  chosen  by  God  to 
be  an  apostle  to  these  tribes.  An  intrepid  traveler,  loving 
adventure,  he  could,   thanks  to  his  robust  constitution, 

20  Letter  to  Madam  Parmentier,  St.  Ignatius,  July  25,  1846. 

21  "The  North  American  Indian  is  the  noblest  type  of  pagan  that  exists. 
He  acknowledges  a  Great  Spirit;  he  believes  in  immortality;  he  has  a  lively 
intelligence  and  clear  mind;  is  brave  and  intrepid,  and  so  long  as  he  is  not 
deceived,  is  faithful  to  his  word.  He  loves  his  children  passionately,  and 
dies  gladly  for  his  tribe."  (Rev.  H.  B.  Whipple,  Protestant  Bishop  of  Minne- 
sota, quoted  by  Helen  Hunt  Jackson,  in  "A  Century  of  Dishonor,"  p.  7.) 

22  Cf.  Marshall,  "  The  Christian  Missions,"  Vol.  ii,  p.  300,  et  seq. 


THE  OREGON  MISSIONS  177 

travel  months  at  a  time,  eat  all  kinds  of  food,  sleep  in  the 
open,  and  share  in  every  way  the  rude  life  of  the  mountain 
Indian.  Yet,  more  than  his  physical  strength,  did  his 
moral  qualities  assure  his  success.  Although  as  a  rule  he 
spoke  only  through  an  interpreter,  he  soon  acquired  an 
influence  over  the  Indians  that  amounted  to  fascination. 
The  dignity  and  sweetness  of  his  manner,  his  calm  assur- 
ance, the  loyalty  of  his  nature  and  compassionate  goodness, 
merited  for  him  the  significant  names  that  obtain  even 
to-day  among  the  tribes:  "The  Great  Black  Robe," 
"The  white  man  of  gentle  speech,"  "The  Indian's  best 
friend."  Though  gentle  in  nature,  he  had  energy  and 
strength  of  character,  and  with  these  qualities  he  con- 
quered the  most  stubborn  natures. 

While  residing  at  one  of  the  mountain  missions,  an  over- 
bearing, sullen  Indian,  who  was  feared  on  account  of  his 
gigantic  strength,  swore  to  kill  the  missionary,  and  do 
away  with  the  religion  he  preached.  One  day  Father 
De  Smet  started  off  on  horseback  to  visit  a  neighboring 
post,  armed  only  with  his  breviary  and  his  riding- whip. 
Suddenly,  he  saw  the  enraged  Indian  descending  upon  him, 
brandishing  his  tomahawk  and  emitting  war-whoops. 
Nothing  would  have  been  easier  than  to  flee,  but  that  would 
have  meant  a  triumph  for  the  fanatic.  In  a  flash  the 
Father  sprang  to  the  ground,  and  before  his  adversary 
could  strike,  gave  him  a  blow  with  his  fist  that  knocked 
the  tomahawk  out  of  his  hand.  The  Indian  stooped  to 
get  it,  and  as  he  did  so  Father  De  Smet  seized  him,  threw 
him,  and,  holding  him  on  the  ground,  administered  a  good 
cowhiding. 

Blind  with  shame  and  fury,  the  would-be  assassin 
struggled  to  free  himself,  but  in  vain.  Then  he  begged  for 
mercy,  swearing  to  treat  the  Black  Robe  henceforth  with 
the  greatest  respect.  Father  De  Smet  promised  him  his 
liberty  upon  condition  that  he  would  himself  tell  the 
whole  tribe  that  he  had  been  beaten  by  the  Black  Robe. 
Willy-nilly,  the  proud  warrior  was  obliged  to  submit. 
He  rose,  but  the  missionary  kept  his  hatchet,  saying  that 
if  he  wished  to  get  it  back  he  must  come  himself  in  a  few 
days  to  the  mission  to  fetch  it. 

The  Indian  was  not  yet  converted,  but  the  way  was  pre- 


178     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

pared.  A  week  later  he  approached  the  mission  and  asked 
to  speak  to  Father  De  Smet.  The  latter  received  him 
most  kindly,  ordered  refreshments  to  be  served,  and 
encouraged  him  to  talk  about  his  victories  and  the  number 
of  scalps  he  had  taken  from  the  enemy.  Gradually  the 
Indian's  face  brightened.  Then  the  conversation  was 
changed  to  the  subject  of  religion.  The  missionary 
exposed  the  absurdity  of  superstitious  practices,  and  re- 
vealed the  great  truths  of  the  Catholic  faith.  The  Indian 
acknowledged  he  had  been  vanquished  a  second  time,  and 
asked  to  become  a  neophyte. 

For  several  weeks  the  new  catechumen  faithfully  at- 
tended the  missionary's  instructions,  finally  receiving 
baptism,  and  becoming  one  of  the  best  Christians  of  the 
tribe.23 

23  This  incident  is  related  in  the  Precis  Historiques,  Brussels,  1873,  p. 
446,  by  a  Father  who  heard  it  from  Father  De  Smet's  own  lips. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE    QUEST    OF    THE     BLACKFEET     (1845-1846) 

St.  Mary's  Mission  Threatened — Father  De  Smet  Goes  in  Search  of  the 
Blackfeet  to  Induce  Them  to  Make  Peace — Autumn  in  the  Rocky- 
Mountains — Mirabilia  opera  Domini — Coming  upon  the  Camp  of  the 
Assiniboins — A  Feast  with  the  Indians — "Like  a  Fish  on  a  Hook" — 
Father  De  Smet  Arrives  at  Rocky  Mountain  House — A  Band  of 
Blackfeet  Come  to  Join  Him — The  Dangerous  Interpreter — The  In- 
accessible Tribe  —  The  Missionary  Decides  to  Pass  the  Winter  at 
Fort  Edmonton — He  Visits  St.  Anne's  Mission — On  a  Sledge  from 
Saskatchewan  to  Athabasca — A  Christian  Who  Had  Not  Seen  a  Priest 
for  Forty  Years — Crossing  the  Mountains  when  the  Snow  Was  Melting 
— To  Reduce  His  Weight  Father  De  Smet  Fasts  for  Thirty  Days- 
Descent  of  the  Columbia — A  Meeting  with  Father  Nobili — Journey  to 
Vancouver  and  Willamette — The  Grotesque  Indian — Progress  of  the 
Missions — Victory  of  the  Flatheads  over  the  Crows — The  Impression 
Produced  on  the  Blackfeet — Father  De  Smet's  Complete  Success — 
"Exaltation  of  the  Holy  Cross" — Father  Point  is  Charged  to  Open  a 
Mission  for  the  Blackfeet — Father  De  Smet's  Return  to  St.  Louis — 
The  Aricaras — The  Sioux — The  Missionary's  Prodigious  Labors — 
Consoling  Results. 

NEITHER  the  zeal  of  the  missionaries  nor  the  fervor 
of  the  neophytes  could  assure  the  future  of  the  new 
Christendom,  so  long  as  it  was  exposed  to  the  incursions  of 
the  Blackfeet.  The  Flatheads  were  especially  menaced, 
the  yearly  buffalo-hunt  giving  rise  to  new  grievances. 
The  Blackfeet  claimed  the  exclusive  right  to  hunt  upon 
the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountains.  The  Flatheads  main- 
tained that  their  ancestors  had  always  enjoyed  this  privi- 
lege, and  furthermore,  that  so  long  as  a  brave  of  their  tribe 
could  bear  arms  they  would  defend  their  rights.  Hence 
sanguinary  encounters  ensued,  in  which  the  Flatheads,  in- 
ferior in  numbers,  were  defeated. 

St.  Mary's  Mission  was  frequently  attacked.  In  a 
country  covered  with  thick  underbrush,  it  was  possible  for 
the  Blackfeet  to  remain  hidden  for  days,  waiting  to  attack 
at  night  any  Flatheads  returning  alone  to  the  village. 


180     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

The  unfortunate  victims  were  killed  and  scalped,  and  the 
assassin  escaped  unseen.  While  the  warriors  were  at  the 
hunt,  the  missionaries  dared  not  venture  unarmed  beyond 
the  stockades,  and  night  and  day  a  sentinel  stood  guard, 
firing  from  time  to  time  to  intimidate  the  enemy. 

For  some  time  Father  De  Smet  had  been  thinking  of 
visiting  these  formidable  neighbors,  hoping  thereby  to 
induce  them  to  bury  the  war-hatchet  and  conclude  a 
lasting  peace  with  the  Western  tribes.  The  undertaking 
was  perilous  in  the  extreme,  for  the  missionary  was  without 
arms,  and,  so  to  speak,  without  escort.  The  Blackfeet 
were  bitter  enemies  of  the  whites,  whom  they  murdered 
without  scruple  to  satisfy  their  hate  and  superstitions. 

"What  will  befall  me?"  writes  Father  De  Smet  when 
about  to  penetrate  into  the  enemy's  country.  "I  confess 
to  being  assailed  by  a  multitude  of  fears.  Poor  human 
nature !  this  frail,  timid  meus  homo  is  affrighted,  and  would 
have  me  look  back  and  listen  to  my  dreams.  But  duty 
calls,  Forward,  march!  I  trust  in  God:  He  can,  if  it 
please  Him,  soften  the  wildest  natures.  I  take  courage  in 
the  prayers  that  are  being  said  for  my  safety.  The  salva- 
tion of  souls  and  the  preservation  of  St.  Mary's  are  at 
stake,  and  no  consideration  shall  turn  me  from  a  project 
I  have  cherished  since  my  first  visit  to  the  mountains."1 

The  Blackfeet  lived  on  the  other  side  of  the  Rockies 
upon  the  Upper  Missouri.  Going  in  an  easterly  direction, 
Father  De  Smet  would  doubtless  have  been  able  to  en- 
counter them  after  a  few  days'  travel.  But  he  preferred 
to  journey  north  and  across  the  mountains  near  the  source 
of  the  Saskatchewan,  in  the  hope  of  discovering  new  tribes 
to  whom  he  might  preach  the  Gospel.  His  object  was  to 
take  possession  in  the  name  of  Christ  of  the  entire  region r 
as  yet  untrodden  by  a  Catholic  priest. 

After  founding  the  mission  of  the  Immaculate  Heart  of 
Mary  he  started  off  at  the  end  of  August,  accompanied  by 
the  Kootenais  guides,  and  a  third  Indian  who  was  to  serve 
as  hunter  and  interpreter.  But  a  year  was  destined  to- 
pass  before  he  should  encounter  the  Blackfeet.  The  events 
of  this  journey  throw  into  relief  the  missionary's  daring 
initiative  and  untiring  perseverance. 

1  Letter  to  Bishop  Hughes,  Sept.  26,  1845. 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  BLACKFEET         1S1 

On  September  4th  Father  De  Smet  arrived  at  the  source 
of  the  Columbia.  He  was  spellbound  with  admiration 
at  the  grandeur  of  the  spectacle  that  lay  before  him,  and 
gazed  at  the  stream  dashing  and  foaming  down  the  moun- 
tainside, which  becomes,  in  its  capricious  turns  and  wind- 
ings, the  most  dangerous  of  the  Western  rivers.  "The 
famous  Cheops  and  Cephren  dwindle  into  insignificance 
"before  these  gigantic  peaks.  The  natural  pyramids  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  seem  to  hurl  defiance  at  all  human  con- 
struction. The  hand  of  God  laid  the  foundations,  per- 
mitting the  elements  to  fashion  them,  and  through  the 
-centuries  they  proclaim  His  glory  and  power."2 

From  there  he  traveled  east  through  a  narrow  gorge 
into  which  daylight  hardly  penetrated.  Trees  of  various 
species  clung  to  the  mountain's  rugged  flank,  and  pines  and 
cedars  cast  their  dark  shadows  upon  the  jagged  rocks.  The 
poplar  rustled  in  the  autumn  breeze,  the  slender  birch 
waved  its  golden  plumes,  and  the  blue  turpentine  and  the 
juniper-tree,  heavy  with  its  crimson  berries,  filled  the  valley 
with  their  perfume. 

When  he  came  across  plants  not  indigenous  to  Belgian 
soil,  he  got  off  his  horse  and  filled  his  pockets  with  seeds 
for  the  friends  and  benefactors  of  the  missions.  "In  four 
or  five  years  one  could  fancy  one's  self  in  America  when 
in  John's  garden,3  or  in  Charles'  country -place."  The 
route  lay  through  dense  forests,  raging  torrents,  and  beside 
appalling  precipices.  A  slight  noise  at  times  indicated  that 
all  life  was  not  banished  from  these  solitudes.  It  was  the 
deer  calling  to  its  mate,  or  the  elk  giving  the  alarm  at  the 
hunter's  approach,  or  a  herd  of  caribou  lying  couched  on 
the  snow;  disturbed  by  the  sound  of  the  horses'  hoofs, 
they  started  up  and  instantly  disappeared  behind  inacces- 
sible peaks.  Now  and  then  a  buck  crossed  the  traveler's 
path,  his  ears  cocked  and  straight  as  the  point  of  a  lance ; 
he  stopped  a  moment,  regarded  the  caravan,  and  then 
bounded  into  a  thicket.  High  above,  near  the  ice-bound 
summits,  white  forms  moved  as  though  suspended  upon  the 
flanks  of  the  rock.     They   were   mountain-goats,  quietly 

2  Letter  quoted. 

3  He  speaks  here  most  likely  of  Dr.  Frederick  John  Lutens,  his  brother- 
in-law. 


182     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

browsing  upon  the  edge  of  precipices,  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  most  daring  hunter. 

Always  interested  in  the  habits  of  animals,  Father  De 
Smet  studied  with  pleasure  and  interest  these  inhabitants 
of  the  forest,  from  the  redoubtable  grizzly  bear  "which 
in  Oregon  corresponds  to  the  lion  in  Africa"  to  the  little 
mountain  rabbit,  "only  six  inches  long,  and  not  of  suffi- 
cient importance  to  find  mention  in  natural  history." 
Emerging  from  the  forest,  he  beheld  the  aurora  borealis. 
"Huge  shafts  of  light  play  across  the  heavens,  straight  as 
columns,  or  in  undulating  waves  appear  and  disappear 
in  infinitely  varied  aspects.  Then  suddenly  the  whole 
horizon  is  brilliantly  illuminated,  the  rays  uniting  at  the 
zenith  to  separate  in  divers  forms."4 

Up  to  this  point  the  journey  had  gone  smoothly.  The 
missionary  thanked  God,  whose  sublime  works  he  had  just 
admired.  "All  that  one  sees  and  hears  in  the  wilderness  is 
delightful  and  instructive;  one  is  impressed,  captivated, 
and  elevated  toward  the  Author  of  all  nature.  'Mirabilia 
opera  Domini. " ' 5 

On  September  15th,  Father  De  Smet  crossed  the  range 
that  separates  the  waters  of  the  Columbia  from  the  Sas- 
katchewan. On  the  summit  he  planted  a  large  cross,  "The 
Cross  of  Peace,"  and  then  began  the  descent  of  the  eastern 
side  of  the  mountain.  After  three  days,  he  came  upon 
traces  of  a  band  of  Indians.  Could  these  be  the  Blackfeet  ? 
Fear  seized  his  escort,  and  in  the  hope  of  turning  the  mis- 
sionary from  his  project,  they  related  their  dreams  of  evil 
omen.  One  saw  himself  devoured  by  a  bear;  the  other 
beheld  crows  and  vultures  circling  over  the  missionary's 
tent;  a  third  saw  blood.  To  reassure  them  the  jovial 
missionary  recited  a  fable. 

"  Midst  the  dark  horrors  of  the  sable  night, 
(No  idle  dream  I  tell  nor  fancy's  strain) 
Thrice  rose  the  red  man's  shade  upon  my  sight, 
Thrice  vanished  into  dusky  air  again. 

"  With  courage  high  my  panting  bosom  swells, 
Onward  I  rushed  upon  the  threatening  foe, 
When,    hark!    horrific    rise   the   specter's   yells, 
He  points  the  steel  and  aims  the  fatal  blow. 

4  Letter  to  Bishop  Hughes,  from  the  Cross  of  Peace,  Sept.  15,  1845. 
6  Ibid. 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  BLACKFEET         183 

"Guard,  sentinel!  to  arms!  to  arms!  to  arms! 

Indians!  Indians!  my  voice  swelled  loud  and  deep. 
The  camp  is  roused  at  dread  of  my  alarms, 
They  wake  and  find — that  I  am  sound  asleep  I"  6 

Laughter  dispelled  fear,  and  the  guides  saw  how  little 
importance  Father  De  Smet  attached  to  such  dreams. 
"Come  what  may,"  they  cried,  "we  will  never  forsake  you 
until  we  see  you  in  safety." 

"And  yet,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "I  had  no  illusions 
as  to  the  danger,  for  I  found  myself  in  a  land,  the  scene 
of  bloody  encounters,  in  close  proximity  to  a  barbarous 
people,  the  enemies  of  the  white  man,  whom  I  may  never 
see  again."7 

For  two  days  they  followed  the  tracks  of  the  unknown 
travelers,  whose  traces  became  ever  more  distinct.  "I 
sent  my  guides  to  reconnoiter,"  says  the  missionary; 
"one  of  them  returned  at  nightfall,  saying  he  had  come 
upon  a  small  camp  of  the  Assiniboins  of  the  Forest,  where 
he  had  been  well  received  and  all  had  manifested  a  great 
desire  to  see  me."  The  next  day  he  joined  the  tribe  and 
journeyed  several  days  with  them.  "This  tribe,  numbering 
not  more  than  fifty  families,  live  in  the  woods  and  the  moun- 
tains. Agriculture  is  unknown  to  them,  and  they  feed  on 
animal  flesh,  especially  porcupines,  which  abound  in  this 
region.  When  short  of  food  they  eat  roots,  seeds,  and  the 
inner  bark  of  the  cypress.  The  chief  of  the  tribe  told  me 
that  last  winter  a  man  in  the  extremity  of  hunger  had 
eaten  his  wife  and  four  children." 

In  default  of  horses,  the  Assiniboins  possessed  a  large 
number  of  dogs,  and  more  voracious  animals  could  scarcely 
be  imagined.  "One  night  I  neglected  to  put  stakes  around 
my  tent,  and  in  consequence  found  myself  in  the  morning 
shoeless,  my  cassock  minus  a  collar,  and  my  breeches  short 
a  leg. 

"The  Assiniboins  are  filthy  beyond  description,  and  de- 
voured by  vermin  which  they  themselves  eat.  'Are  you 
not  ashamed,'  I  asked  an  Indian,  'to  eat  these  insects?' 
'They  eat  me  first,'  he  replied,  'and  I  have  the  right  to 
retaliate.'    Wishing  to  be  particularly  amiable,  one  day  I 

6Cf.  Chittenden-Richardson,  pp.  506,  507. 

7  Letter  to  Bishop  Hughes,  Camp  Assiniboin,  Sept.  26,  1845. 


1 84     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

assisted  at  a  porcupine  feast,  a  scene  that  would  have 
turned  the  strongest  stomach.  Failing  a  table-cloth  and 
dishes,  several  of  the  company  took  off  their  leather  shirts 
shining  with  grease  and  laid  them  on  the  ground.  Upon 
this  covering  the  meat  was  cut  and  served;  to  dry  their 
hands  they  wiped  them  on  their  hair.  An  old  woman  whose 
face  was  smeared  with  blood — a  sign  of  mourning — pre- 
sented me  with  a  wooden  bowl  of  soup.  The  horn  spoon 
reeked  with  grease,  which  she  kindly  licked  before  putting 
it  in  my  soup. 

"The  Indians  have  a  bizarre  method  of  cooking  certain 
dishes  which  they,  however,  consider  delicious.  The 
cooking  is  done  solely  by  the  women,  who  first  work  up  a 
mixture  of  grease  and  blood  in  their  hands  and  then  boil 
this  in  a  little  water.  Then  they  fill  a  kettle  with  grease 
and  meat  which  they  have  chewed  into  a  pulp.  Often  half 
a  dozen  women  are  occupied  for  hours  preparing  this  rare 
stew.  They  chew  and  chew  again  mouthful  after  mouthful, 
then  put  the  whole  in  the  kettle.  This  is  the  far-famed 
Rocky  Mountain  hash !  Add  to  this  delectable  dish  cakes 
made  of  crushed  ants  and  grasshoppers  dried  in  the  sun,  and 
you  will  have  some  idea  of  the  delicacies  of  the  Assiniboin 
table."8 

These  people  were  not  wholly  disposed  to  be  taught  the 
Gospel.  Jealousy  divided  families,  and  quarrels,  disputes, 
and  murders  were  not  infrequent.  Protestant  ministers  of 
doubtful  morals  had  traversed  the  country  defaming  the 
Black  Robes;  but,  undaunted,  the  missionary  gave  instruc- 
tion every  evening,  and  baptized  some  children  and  an  old 
man  who,  dying  a  few  days  later,  was  interred  with  Catholic 
rites. 

After  a  few  weeks'  sojourn  at  the  Assiniboin  camp,  Father 
De  Smet  started  off  with  his  three  guides.  The  interlaced 
branches  of  the  cypress  forest  which  they  traversed  tore 
and  scraped  their  hands,  faces,  and  clothes,  as  the  travelers 
pushed  their  way  through.  Nor  did  our  missionary  escape 
without  an  adventure.     He  says: 

' '  I  had  to  pass  under  a  tree  that  hung  over  the  path ;  one 
of  its  branches,  broken  off  at  the  end,  presented  a  dangerous 
hook.  I  bent  down  on  my  horse's  neck,  but  this  was  a 
8  Letter  to  Bishop  Hughes,  Camp  Assiniboin,  Sept.  26,  1845. 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  BLACKFEET         185 

useless  maneuver,  for  it  seized  me  by  the  collar  of  my  coat 
and  lifted  me  up,  my  horse  passing  on  from  under  me. 
There  I  hung  like  a  fish  on  a  hook.  My  battered  hat,  black 
eye,  and  torn  cheek  in  a  civilized  land  would  have  laid  me 
open  to  suspicion  as  being  a  highwayman  from  the  Black 
Forest,  rather  than  a  missionary  in  search  of  souls."9 

After  pushing  their  way  for  several  weeks  through  the 
mountains,  the  caravan  descended  into  the  vast  plain  that 
lies  between  the  Saskatchewan  and  Upper  Missouri.  Here, 
besides  the  Blackfeet,  lived  the  Crows,  Aricaras,  Crees, 
Assiniboins  of  the  Forest,  the  Cheyennes,  the  Sioux,  and 
others.  Canadian  missionaries  had  just  begun  to  evangelize 
these  barbarous  tribes.  "The  difference  in  physiognomy 
between  these  Indians  and  those  who  inhabit  the  shores 
of  the  Columbia  is  as  great  as  the  mountains  which  separate 
them.  These  latter  are  renowned  for  their  frankness,  gen- 
tleness, and  amiability,  while  cruelty,  craft,  and  thirst 
for  blood  give  their  impress  to  the  lineaments  of  the  Black- 
feet.  Hands  unstained  by  blood  are  a  rarity  in  this  na- 
tion."10 

On  October  4th  they  arrived  at  the  Rocky  Mountain 
House,  belonging  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  Although 
a  Protestant,  the  commander  was  disposed  to  aid  the  mis- 
sionary. A  detachment  of  Blackfeet  was  due  at  the  fort 
and  he  promised  to  bring  about  a  friendly  meeting.  Father 
De  Smet  then  discharged  his  escort,  and  while  awaiting 
the  Blackfeet  prepared  for  baptism  twenty  Crees  who  had 
learned  of  Christianity  from  a  Canadian  priest. 

On  October  25th  a  band  of  thirteen  Blackfeet  arrived  at 
the  Fort.  "They  greeted  me,"  writes  Father  De  Smet, 
"after  the  fashion  of  Indians,  with  politeness  at  once 
uncouth  and  cordial.  Upon  learning  the  object  of  my 
journey,  the  old  chief  embraced  me.  His  accoutrements 
distinguished  him  from  his  companions,  for  he  was  covered 
from  head  to  foot  with  eagle  feathers  and  wore  upon  his 
chest  a  medallion  consisting  of  a  large  plate  decorated  with 
blue  flowers.  Every  mark  of  friendship  was  shown  me, 
and  each  time  I  visited  him  he  seated   me  beside  him, 

9  Letter  to  Bishop  Hughes,  Rocky  Mountain  House,  Oct.  5,  1845. 
10  Ibid.,  Oct.  30,  1845. 
13 


186     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

shook  my  hand  affectionately,  and  rubbed  his  vermilion- 
painted  nose  first  on  one  of  my  cheeks  and  then  on  the 
other.  He  invited  me  at  once  to  visit  his  country  and 
offered  to  personally  act  as  my  guide  and  introduce  me  to 
his  people."11 

That  year  had  been  a  disastrous  one  for  the  Blackfeet. 
Twenty-one  warriors  had  been  killed  in  two  skirmishes  with 
the  Flatheads  and  Kalispels;  six  hundred  horses  had  been 
stolen,  and  twenty-seven  men  scalped  by  the  Crees;  fifty 
families  massacred  by  the  Crows,  and  one  hundred  and 
sixty  women  and  children  led  into  captivity.  Such  mis- 
fortunes had  rendered  tractable  the  chiefs  of  this  ferocious 
tribe. 

The  main  difficulty  was  to  find  a  competent  interpreter. 
The  only  one  at  the  Fort  was  not  considered  trustworthy, 
and  could  not  be  recommended  by  the  travelers  who  had 
employed  him;  but  his  professions  of  fidelity  finally  de- 
cided Father  De  Smet  to  engage  him,  as  he  wished  to  reach 
the  Blackfeet  before  winter  set  in.  Before  long  he  had 
reason  to  regret  his  decision. 

On  October  31st  he  left  the  Post,  accompanied  by  the 
interpreter  and  a  young  half-breed  Cree  to  care  for  the 
horses.  The  Blackfeet  had  gone  before  to  prepare  the 
tribe  for  the  missionary's  visit,  and  dispose  them  to 
accord  him  a  friendly  reception.  "Despite  his  promises," 
writes  Father  De  Smet,  "the  interpreter  soon  showed  his 
hand.  He  became  sullen  and  bad-tempered,  and  behaved 
as  though  the  weight  of  the  universe  had  been  placed  on 
his  shoulders.  He  pitched  camp  in  places  where  the  poor 
horses  could  not  find  a  blade  of  grass  after  a  long  day's 
journey.  The  further  we  advanced  into  the  wilds,  the 
more  surly  he  became.  Not  a  pleasant  word  escaped  his 
lips,  and  his  incoherent  mutterings  finally  alarmed  me. 

"I  had  marched  unintermittently  ten  days,  and  the  last 
two  nights  were  nights  of  anguish  and  watching.  Just  then 
I  had  the  luck  to  meet  a  Canadian,  whom  I  prevailed  on 
to  remain  with  me  for  a  few  days.  The  next  morning  the 
interpreter  disappeared.  Although  my  situation  was 
critical  in  the  extreme,  with  neither  guide  nor  interpreter, 
the  departure  of  my  disagreeable  companion  lifted  a  weight 

11  Letter  quoted. 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  BLACKFEET         187 

off  my  heart,  for  had  I  not  met  the  Canadian,  in  all  likeli- 
hood I  would  have  fallen  a  victim  to  his  fell  designs  to  do 
away  with  me."12 

Father  De  Smet  then  set  about  to  find  another  inter- 
preter, as  he  was  determined  not  to  turn  back.  He  was 
told  that  further  on  he  would  find  one  who  was  also  en  route 
for  the  Blackfeet.  For  eight  days  he  searched  for  him 
through  a  labyrinth  of  narrow  valleys,  but  all  in  vain. 
Nor  did  he  come  upon  any  Indians.  The  Crees,  who  were 
on  the  war-path,  overran  the  country  in  every  direction, 
the  Blackfeet  fleeing  before  them.  For  four  days  it 
snowed  heavily;  the  horses  were  exhausted.  Father 
De  Smet's  rations  were  at  low  ebb.  The  passage  of  the 
mountains  was  blocked,  and  nothing  now  remained  but  to 
try  to  reach  one  of  the  Fur  Company's  posts  and  winter 
there,  putting  off  until  spring  his  visit  to  the  Blackfeet. 
So  Father  De  Smet  hastily  retraced  his  steps,  going  to 
Fort  Edmonton  on  the  Saskatchewan.  The  warm  re- 
ception given  him  compensated  in  a  measure  for  the  dis- 
appointments and  mishaps  of  the  past  two  months.  The 
population  of  the  Fort  was  in  large  part  Catholic.  The 
missionary  explained  the  catechism  every  morning  to  the 
children,  and  in  the  evening  before  night-prayers  gave  an 
instruction,  at  which  the  commander  and  his  household 
were  present. 

St.  Anne's  Mission  lay  fifty  miles  west  of  the  Fort. 
This  was  the  headquarters  of  the  Canadian  priests, 
Fathers  Thibault  and  Bourassa,  who  from  this  center 
extended  their  apostolic  labors  to  Athabasca,  Peace  River, 
Slave  Lake,  and  the  Mackenzie.  Father  De  Smet  visited 
them,  and  was  rejoiced  to  find  that  the  Indians  in  this 
part  of  Canada  were  not  less  fervent  than  the  most  religious 
of  the  Western  tribes.  In  the  course  of  one  journey 
Father  Thibault  had  baptized  nearly  five  hundred  souls. 

Winter  was  drawing  to  a  close,  and  yet  grave  difficulties 
stood  in  the  way  of  reaching  the  Blackfeet.  An  interpreter 
was  not  to  be  had.  Armed  bands  terrorized  the  country; 
thieving  and  carnage  were  rife.  While  determined  not  to 
give  up  his  project,  Father  De  Smet  deemed  it  wiser  for 
the  present  to  retire  again  to  St.  Ignatius'  Mission.     He 

12  Letter  to  Bishop  Hughes,  Fort  Edmonton,  Dec.  31,  1845. 


188     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

still  hoped  to  reach,  by  another  route,  this  inaccessible 
tribe. 

On  March  12  th  he  left  Fort  Edmonton  with  an  escort 
of  three  trustworthy  half-breeds  given  him  by  Father 
Thibault.  His  plan  was  to  approach  the  mountains 
through  the  Athabasca  valley  and  from  there  to  descend 
the  Columbia  to  Fort  Colville.  As  the  ground  was  covered 
with  snow,  they  traveled  in  a  sleigh  drawn  by  four  dogs, 
and  after  six  days  reached  Fort  Assiniboin  on  the  Atha- 
basca. Then  following  the  river  for  three  hundred  miles, 
they  arrived  at  Fort  Jasper. 

There  he  met  an  Iroquois  who  had  not  seen  a  priest 
since  he  left  his  country  forty  years  before.  The  old 
Indian's  joy  knew  no  bounds,  for  now  his  children  could 
be  baptized.  Father  De  Smet  remained  several  days 
to  instruct  this  interesting  family,  thirty-six  in  number. 
He  celebrated  Mass  on  Easter,  and  afterward  adminis- 
tered baptism  and  married  seven  couples. 

The  moment  of  separation  was  impressive.  "The  new 
Christians,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "wished  to  honor  me 
in  a  way  that  would  leave  a  lasting  impression  on  their 
children  and  keep  before  them  ever  the  name  of  him 
who  had  placed  them  in  'the  way  of  life.'  The  assembled 
family  gave  three  rousing  hurrahs,  at  the  same  time  firing 
their  guns  in  the  direction  of  the  mountain  to  which  they 
gave  my  name.  The  men  escorted  me  ten  miles  on  my 
journey,  each  one  shaking  my  hand  effusively  at  parting. 
We  exchanged  good  wishes  and  mingled  our  tears,  and 
when  they  departed  we  found  ourselves  alone  in  one  of 
those  wild  ravines  enclosed  by  mountains  rising  like 
insurmountable  barriers."13 

Father  De  Smet  reached  the  top  of  the  highest  peaks 
in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  beheld  Mount  Brown  lifting 
its  snow-clad  summit  over  ten  thousand  feet  in  the  em- 
pyrean. Crossing  these  mountains  is  difficult  at  all 
seasons,  but  it  was  especially  difficult  now,  at  the  be- 
ginning of  May,  for  the  melting  snow  caused  frequent 
avalanches,    carrying    with    them    enormous    rocks    that 

13  Letter  to  Bishop  Hughes,  from  the  foot  of  the  Great  Glacier,  May  6, 
1846. 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  BLACKFEET         189 

bounded  down  the  mountainside  with  deafening  noise, 
felling  trees,  crushing  herds  and  flocks,  and  filling  up  the 
valleys.  Before  this  undertaking,  the  most  perilous  per- 
haps that  he  had  ever  encountered,  the  intrepid  missionary, 
already  exhausted  by  a  useless  journey  of  several  months, 
seems  to  have  lost  courage  temporarily.  To  his  family 
he  writes: 

"My  health  is  no  longer  what  it  was.  Every  time  I 
climb  a  mountain  now,  my  strength  seems  to  leave  me. 
The  rigors  of  the  climate,  fasts,  sleepless  nights,  with  ever- 
increasing  anxieties,  and  the  dangers  and  agonizing  mo- 
ments I  pass  through,  are  sapping  my  constitution.  Only 
lately  did  I  miraculously  escape  the  hands  of  a  vile  as- 
sassin." 

In  writing  to  his  Belgian  friends  he  says,  "You  are 
always  in  my  heart,  and  I  sigh  and  long  for  you.  If  God 
permits  me  to  again  behold  my  country  I  shall  never  leave 
it."14  It  would,  however,  have  been  difficult  for  Father 
De  Smet  to  keep  this  resolution,  for  he  was  to  see  his  native 
Belgium  seven  times  more,  and  each  time,  despite  his 
love  for  his  family,  the  thought  of  the  salvation  of  souls 
was  to  bring  him  back  to  his  adopted  country.15  Nor 
does  it  displease  us  to  see  the  great  missionary  momentarily 
bend  under  his  burden;  his  personality  is  the  more  winning 
for  being  so  human,  since  there  is  often  more  pride  than 
virtue  in  bearing  up  under  trial. 

Before  long  Father  De  Smet  recovered  his  wonted 
spirits,  and  again  his  letters  tell  us  of  the  difficulties  and 
accidents  of  this  appalling  journey.  "We  had  sixty  miles 
to  make  on  snow-shoes  before  reaching  the  boat  encamp- 
ment on  the  Columbia,  and  we  determined  to  make  the 
trip  in  two  and  a  half  days.  The  commanders  at  Rocky 
Mountain  House  and  at  Fort  Edmonton  endeavored  to  dis- 
suade me  from  undertaking  this  journey,  thinking  me  too 
heavy  for  the  exertion  it  required.  But  a  strict  fast  for 
thirty  days  reduced  my  flesh,  and,  finding  myself  consider- 
ably lighter,  I  bravely  set  out  to  journey  through  snow  from 

14  Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  from  the  foot  of  the  Great  Glacier  in  the 
Upper  Athabasca,  May  6,  1846. 

15  In  1833  Father  De  Smet  became  a  naturalized  citizen  of  the  United 
States. 


i9o     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

sixteen  to  twenty  feet  deep.  We  went  single  file  across 
a  plain  covered  with  the  debris  of  an  avalanche ;  now  over 
lakes  or  torrents  hidden  under  the  snow ;  and  now  through 
a  cypress  forest  buried  in  snow  to  its  top  branches.  I  do  not 
know  how  many  times  I  tumbled,  for  every  minute  I  was 
having  trouble  with  my  snow-shoes,  or  was  caught  by  the 
branch  of  a  tree.  When  one  falls  the  arms  are  instinc- 
tively stretched  out  to  save  one's  self.  In  deep  snow  the 
danger  is  not  great;  the  arms  sink  in  up  to  the  shoulder, 
and  one  lies  struggling  and  laughing.  My  guides  were 
most  obliging,  and  after  each  tumble  hastened  to  my 
assistance  and  got  me  on  my  feet  again. 

"After  tramping  thirty  miles  the  first  day,  we  made  our 
camp.  We  cut  pine  branches,  which  we  laid  on  the  snow 
for  our  beds.  Sleeping  on  the  snow  and  in  the  open  may 
sound  uncomfortable  to  those  accustomed  to  soft  mat- 
tresses and  warm  rooms,  but  never  was  there  a  greater 
mistake.  Come  and  breathe  the  pure  air  of  the  mountains, 
where  coughs  and  colds  are  unknown,  and  where  condi- 
ments are  not  needed  to  excite  the  appetite!  Come  and 
try  a  nomad's  life  and  see  how  the  fatigues  of  a  long  day's 
journey  are  forgotten;  come  and  experience  the  joy  of 
health  and  sound  sleep,  wrapped  in  a  buffalo  hide,  lying 
upon  pine  branches  beside  a  crackling  fire! 

"The  next  day  we  began  the  steep  descent  of  what  is 
known  as  the  Great  Western  Slope.  It  took  five  hours. 
The  whole  side  of  the  mountain  is  covered  with  a  dense 
forest  of  huge  pines,  larches,  and  cedars.  Woe  to  the 
man  with  a  heavy  body  or  who  makes  a  false  step!  I 
speak  from  experience — for  many  times  I  gathered  myself 
together  twenty  or  thirty  feet  from  where  I  fell,  happy 
indeed  if  I  did  not  strike  my  head  against  the  trunk  of 
some  great  tree. 

"At  the  foot  of  the  mountain  the  scene  changed.  The 
barriers  of  snow  and  the  many  banks  which  until  now  had 
held  the  mountain  torrents,  lakes,  and  streams  in  check 
were  broken  up  during  the  night,  putting  the  Great  Portage 
River  in  freshet.  Through  a  valley  scarcely  a  mile  wide 
this  river  winds  with  so  many  turns,  that  in  one  day  we 
crossed  it  forty  times  in  water  up  to  our  shoulders;  and 
so  swift  is  its  current  that  we  were  obliged  to  hold  tightly 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  BLACKFEET         191 

to  one  another  to  prevent  being  swept  away.  The  rest 
of  the  journey  was  made  in  dripping  garments.  The  cold, 
together  with  extreme  fatigue,  caused  my  legs  to  swell; 
my  toe  nails  came  off  and  the  blood  coagulated  in  my 
boots.  Four  times  I  felt  my  strength  failing,  and  I  should 
have  perished  in  this  grim  wilderness  if  the  courage  and 
strength  of  my  companions  had  not  sustained  me. 

"We  left  the  Portage  valley  and  entered  a  thick  and 
mountainous  forest,  where  the  ground  was  encumbered 
with  thousands  of  trees  felled  by  the  tempests.  Then 
followed  marshes  through  which  we  crossed  in  mud  and 
water  up  to  our  knees;  but  these  troubles  were  trifling 
compared -to  those  which  we  had  encountered  in  the  be- 
ginning of  our  journey.  Finally  we  came  to  the  boat 
encampment  on  the  Columbia,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Portage 
River.  Those  who  have  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains 
at  530  of  north  latitude  when  the  snow  is  melting  know 
what  it  means  to  be  a  good  traveler.  It  had  required  all 
my  strength  to  accomplish  this  crossing,  and  I  confess  I 
would  not  dare  to  undertake  it  again."16 

After  a  few  hours'  rest,  Father  De  Smet  and  his  guides 
embarked  upon  the  Columbia.  After  the  horrors  of  the 
dark  mountain  passes,  they  were  cheered  by  the  smiling 
aspect  of  spring.  The  river  islands  were  a  mass  of  blossom 
and  the  mantle  of  snow  was  thinning  on  the  mountainsides ; 
a  thousand  little  rivulets  leaped  singing  from  rock  to  rock. 
In  the  hands  of  his  skilful  guides  the  canoe  shot  the  rapids, 
made  its  way  safely  through  the  rocks,  and  descended  swift 
as  an  arrow. 

At  one  time  Father  De  Smet  feared  a  repetition  of  the 
accident  that  had  befallen  his  men  four  years  before. 
He  had  just  stepped  ashore  to  avoid  a  difficult  passage; 
the  Canadians,  confident  in  their  ability  to  manage  the 
canoe,  refused  to  leave  it,  when  suddenly  it  was  caught  in 
a  whirlpool.  Despite  their  desperate  efforts,  it  was  sucked 
in  and  the  boat  filled  with  water.  The  missionary  on  the 
bank  fell  on  his  knees  and  implored  heaven  to  save  his 
men,  who  seemed  doomed  to  destruction.  In  a  flash  the 
gulf  closed  again,  throwing  the  canoe  into  safe  water. 

At  St.  Peter  of  the  Lakes,  on  the  right  bank   of  the 

16  Letter  to  Father  Van  de  Velde,  Boat  Encampment,  May  10,  1846. 


i92     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

river,  there  lived  twenty  families  of  the  Chaudiere  tribe, 
who  had  not  received  baptism  the  previous  year.  Father 
De  vSmet  stopped  to  instruct  them,  and  a  few  days  later  they 
all  became  Christians.  Toward  the  end  of  May  he  ar- 
rived at  Fort  Colville,  where  the  Indians  of  the  St.  Paul 
Mission  were  waiting  to  receive  him  and  conduct  him  to 
their  mission.  Great  was  the  missionary's  joy  to  find 
that  the  whole  tribe  had  been  instructed  and  baptized 
by  Father  Hoecken,  and  still  greater  was  his  happiness 
in  celebrating  Mass  in  the  humble  chapel  built  by  the 
Indians. 

It  was  an  added  pleasure  to  meet  Father  Nobili,  the 
apostle  to  New  Caledonia.  He  likewise  had  passed 
through  many  trials.  Obliged  to  follow  these  wandering 
tribes  from  camp  to  camp,  he  had  traversed  hundreds  of 
miles  through  ice  and  snow,  with  often  no  food  other  than 
dog  or  wolf  meat,  and  for  months  he  had  lived  on  a  sort 
of  moss  mixed  with  insipid  roots.  But  such  privations 
endured  for  God  were  not  in  vain.  Everywhere  the 
Indians  received  the  missionary  enthusiastically,  asking 
him  to  baptize  their  children.  Many  were  converted  and 
remained  faithful  to  their  marriage  vows.  A  cross  had 
been  erected  in  every  village  that  did  not  possess  a  church. 
Father  Nobili  felt  the  need  of  a  rest  and  was  now  about  to 
leave  to  spend  a  few  weeks  at  St.  Ignatius'  Mission. 

As  we  have  seen,  it  was  Father  De  Smet's  intention  to 
repair  to  the  same  mission,  and  from  there  to  work  his 
way  to  the  Blackfeet.  The  commander  at  Fort  Colville 
had  kindly  offered  him  passage  in  a  boat  going  to  Van- 
couver, which  would  permit  him  to  revictual  the  dif- 
ferent mountain  posts.  Father  De  Smet  accepted  his 
invitation. 

During  the  year,  Catholicism  had  made  rapid  progress 
in  the  Willamette  valley.  Fathers  Accolti  and  De  Vos  of 
St.  Francis  Xavier's  Mission  expected  many  conversions 
in  the  contiguous  territory.  Father  Vercruysse  had  ac- 
complished marvels  with  the  Grand  Prairie  Indians,  and 
the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame  rejoiced  in  an  ever-increasing 
number  of  pupils.  But  the  number  of  missionaries  was 
not  sufficient  for  the  work.     Archbishop  Blanchet,  how- 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  BLACKFEET         193 

ever,  was  soon  to  return  from  Europe  with  both  mis- 
sionaries and  Sisters.17 

Laden  with  supplies  for  the  missions,  Father  De  Smet 
started  again  to  cross  the  mountains.  He  had  hardly  left 
Vancouver  when  a  powder-horn  exploded,  burning  one 
side  of  his  face,  though  not  seriously  enough  to  impede 
his  travels.  As  he  journeyed,  he  studied  the  habits  of  the 
Indians,  and  found  endless  pleasure  in  the  beauties  of  the 
river. 

At  a  place  called  the  Great  Dalles,  Father  De  Smet  came 
upon  a  band  of  grotesque  Indians.  When  the  German, 
Canadian,  and  Spanish  emigrants  descended  the  Columbia 
valley  they  were  frequently  in  need  of  provisions,  canoes, 
and  guides.  In  payment  for  these  they  gave  the  Indians 
their  old  clothing,  hence  a  rare  collection  of  coats,  trousers, 
hats,  and  shoes  were  worn  indiscriminately  by  men  and 
women,  regardless  of  age  or  stature. 

"Two  big,  stalwart  Indians  paraded  before  us  in  the 
apparent  belief  that  their  new  acquisitions  embellished  their 
persons.  One  wore  a  pair  of  trousers  turned  inside  out, 
another  a  coat  much  too  short,  with  a  torn  pair  of  skin- 
tight trousers  which  betrayed  the  absence  of  a  shirt;  a 
lace  head-dress  was  the  crowning  touch  to  this  bizarre 
costume.  I  met  Indians  wearing  one  shoe,  others  both 
shoes.  Some  go  through  the  camp  in  the  habiliments  of 
a  wagoner,  others  in  a  mixture  composed  of  the  clothes 
of  a  sailor,  a  workman,  and  a  lawyer,  arranged  according 
to  fancy;  some  again  with  only  one  article  of  dress.  I 
have  seen  an  old  Indian  showing  off  a  pair  of  boots,  the 
only  article  of  his  wardrobe.  Indian  squaws  are  attired 
in  long  calico  gowns  which  they  have  besmeared  with  fish 
oil  through  choice  or  negligence.  If  they  can  afford  it, 
they  superadd  a  vest  of  flannel,  or  the  ne  plus  ultra  of 
elegance,  a  man's  overcoat."18 

The  spectacle  amused  our  missionary,  but  he  could  not 
forget  the  moral  degradation  of  these  unfortunate  people. 
"With  the  greater  number  idolatry  extends  even  to  the 
worship  of  the  lowest  animals,  and  some  even  sacrifice 

17  Of  this  number  six  were  Jesuits:  Father  Anthony  Goetz,  Joseph  M6n6- 
trey,  and  Gregory  Gazzoli,  with  three  lay  Brothers. 

18  Letter  to  Father  Van  de  Velde,  Fort  Walla  Walla,  June  18,  1846. 


i94    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

human  beings  to  appease  their  gods.  Add  to  this,  licen- 
tiousness, a  passion  for  gambling,  and  an  idleness  that 
famine  alone  stimulates  into  action,  hypocrisy,  and  glut- 
tony, and  all  that  is  base,  and  you  will  then  have  an  idea 
of  the  vileness  in  which  the  Indians  of  the  Columbia 
stagnate."19 

Father  De  Smet  hoped  to  be  able  to  send  missionaries 
to  these  tribes,  but  for  the  moment  the  future  of  the  existing 
missions  must  be  assured.  At  Walla  Walla  he  left  the 
Columbia,  struck  out  overland,  and  with  a  caravan  of 
mules  and  horses  crossed  for  the  second  time  the  immense 
country  of  the  Spokanes  and  Nez  Perces.  He  visited,  in 
passing,  St.  Francis  Regis'  Mission,  where  seventy  half- 
breeds  were  leading  Christian  lives,  and  on  July  17th 
arrived  at  St.  Ignatius'  Mission. 

Under  Father  Hoecken's  wise  direction  the  new  "re- 
duction" had  prospered.  The  Kalispel  converts  num- 
bered about  four  hundred  and  were  distinguished  not 
only  for  their  fervent  piety,  but  for  industry  and  love  of 
work.  The  men  had  three  hundred  acres  of  land  under 
cultivation  and  the  women  had  learned  to  milk  cows  and 
make  butter.  Besides  cattle,  they  had  large  poultry- 
yards.  To  sustain  the  growing  colony  Father  De  Smet 
gave  Father  Hoecken  part  of  his  supplies.  He  then  de- 
parted for  the  Cceur  d'Alenes. 

Above  all  others,  the  Sacred  Heart  Mission  manifested 
in  a  striking  manner  the  wonderful  effects  of  grace  in  the 
soul  of  the  savage.  "God,"  they  said,  "took  pity  on  us; 
He  has  opened  our  eyes:  He  is  infinitely  merciful."  The 
neophytes  applied  themselves  to  agriculture,  and  under 
Father  Joset's  direction  sowed  enough  grain  to  nourish 
many  families.  Thus  gradually  these  nomadic  children 
of  the  desert  began  to  appreciate  the  joy  of  domestic  life. 
Father  Point  had  been  recalled,  and  was  to  be  replaced  by 
Father  Gazzoli.  In  union  with  Father  Joset  he  carried 
on  for  many  years  a  fruitful  apostolate. 

After  a  few  days  spent  with  the  Coeur  d'Alenes,  Father 
De  Smet,  accompanied  by  Father  Point,  left  for  St.  Mary's, 
thus,  at  the  same  time  revictualing  the  missions,  and  also 
approaching  the  land  of  the  Blackfeet.     St.  Mary's,  the 

19  Letter  quoted. 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  BLACKFEET         195 

first  foundation,  always  remained  the  principal  mountain 
settlement,  and  like  a  glowing  and  luminous  hearth, 
radiated  civilization  through  the  desert. 

Father  Zerbinati  died  in  the  autumn  of  1845  after  a  short 
apostolate  of  only  two  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  Father 
Ravalli  from  St.  Ignatius'  Mission.20  The  rapid  develop- 
ment of  this  mission  was  due  to  Father  Mengarini's 
powers  of  organization.  A  large  church  now  replaced  the 
little  chapel;  a  priest's  house  and  other  wooden  houses 
in  the  same  style  had  been  built,  and  cattle  and  poultry 
gave  the  touch  of  a  civilized  community  to  the  prosperous 
village.  The  wheat  crop  amounted  to  thousands  of  bushels, 
and  a  quantity  of  potatoes,  more  than  sufficient  for  the 
tribe,  had  been  grown.  Even  after  the  Easter  celebrations 
the  granaries  and  cellars  were  still  so  well  rilled  that  the 
missionaries  invited  the  Snakes,  the  Bannocks,  the  Nez 
Perces,  and  the  Pend  d'Oreilles  to  a  feast  composed  of 
dishes  unknown  to  many  of  them.  Father  Mengarini 
had  also  succeeded  in  extracting  the  sugar  from  potatoes, 
and  with  barley  and  some  native  roots  made  a  sort  of 
non-intoxicating  drink  that  was  both  agreeable  to  the 
taste  and  nourishing.  But  they  still  lacked  flour,  for  the 
result  obtained  from  crushing  wheat  between  stones  or 
grinding  it  in  a  coffee-mill  was  anything  but  flour.  Father 
Ravalli  immediately  set  about  supplying  this  need.  With 
the  assistance  of  Brother  Claessens  and  Brother  Specht 
he  constructed  a  water-mill  capable  of  turning  out  daily 
several  sacks  of  flour,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  saw-mill 
for  cutting  boards  and  beams  needed  in  building.  The 
saw  he  made  from  the  tire  of  a  wheel,  beaten  out  thin, 
and  from  four  other  tires,  welded  together,  he  made  a 
fly-wheel.  The  whole  was  run  by  the  same  waterfall  that 
worked  the  flour-mill. 

The  spiritual  and  moral  condition  of  this  mission  was  as 
satisfactory  as  its  material  prosperity.  Since  the  abolition 
of  polygamy  the  population  had  sensibly  increased.  The 
abandonment  of  children,  divorce,   and  the   shedding   of 

20  Born  at  Ferrara  in  1812,  Anthony  Ravalli  evinced  in  early  youth  a 
strong  desire  for  foreign  missionary  work.  With  this  end  in  view,  besides 
philosophy  and  theology,  he  had  studied  medicine,  drawing,  and  mechanics. 
His  devotion,  simplicity,  and  happy  nature  won  for  him,  during  his  labor  of 
forty  years,  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  both  the  white  man  and  the  Indian. 


i96     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

blood  were  now  unknown  among  the  Flatheads.  Young 
girls  were  permitted  to  marry  for  choice.  The  sick  were 
cared  for,  and  no  longer  allowed  to  die  in  misery.  The 
education  of  the  children  was  regarded  as  a  religious  duty, 
and  gave  promise  to  the  missionaries  of  a  Christian 
generation. 

Bands  of  unfriendly  tribes,  it  is  true,  continued  to  trouble 
the  tranquillity  of  the  village.  But  the  courage  of  the 
braves,  sustained  by  extraordinary  faith  in  divine  pro- 
tection, finally  made  allies  of  the  most  hostile.  Shortly 
before  Father  De  Smet's  arrival,  an  encounter  had  taken 
place  with  the  Crows,  who  had  stolen  thirty  of  the  Flat- 
heads'  horses.  Two  who  were  innocent  of  the  theft  had 
been  punished.  When  the  mistake  was  discovered,  every 
effort  was  made  to  make  amends,  but  all  in  vain.  The 
Crows  gladly  seized  a  pretext  for  warfare. 

One  morning,  the  Flatheads  saw  a  cloud  of  dust  on  the 
horizon ;  it  was  the  enemy.  The  chief  then  assembled  his 
tribe  and  addressed  them  thus :  ' '  My  friends,  if  God  wills 
that  we  be  conquered,  we  shall  be;  but  His  will  be  done, 
and  above  all  trust  in  Him!"  When  the  Crows  came 
within  range  of  their  rifles,  a  volley  was  poured  upon  them. 
Disconcerted  by  this  resistance,  they  changed  their  plan 
of  attack  and  began  a  series  of  fantastic  evolutions,  which 
only  resulted  in  wearing  out  their  horses. 

"To  horse!"  cried  the  Flathead  chief.  In  a  flash  every 
man  vaulted  into  the  saddle  and  started  in  pursuit  of  the 
Crows,  whom  they  forced  to  retreat  two  miles  from  the 
camp.  Their  number  was  large  enough,  however,  to  per- 
mit them  to  continue  the  struggle  until  sundown,  when 
they  fled  in  disorder,  leaving  fourteen  dead  and  nine 
wounded.  The  Flatheads  did  not  lose  a  single  man. 
Even  their  women  distinguished  themselves  in  action. 
After  having  pursued  a  band  of  Crows,  hatchet  in  hand,  one 
squaw  returned,  saying,  "I  thought  these  braggarts  were 
men:  they  are  not  even  worthy  of  being  pursued  by 
women." 

This  encounter  brought  matters  to  a  point  that  facili- 
tated the  reconciliation  that  Father  De  Smet  had  sought 
for  more  than  a  year.     Father  Mengarini's  kindness  and 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  BLACKFEET         197 

charity  conquered  the  savage  natures  of  the  Blackfeet 
living  in  the  neighborhood  of  St.  Mary's,  and  the  daring 
courage  of  the  Flatheads,  to  which  they  owed  their  preser- 
vation from  the  common  enemy,  finally  won  them  over. 
Burning  to  avenge  the  disaster  experienced  the  year  before, 
the  Blackfeet  united  with  the  Flatheads  in  an  effort  to  beat 
back  the  Crows.  Returning  victorious,  they  at  once 
sought  out  the  missionary. 

"Such  a  victory,"  they  said,  "could  only  have  been 
obtained  by  prayer.  All  during  the  battle  we  saw  the 
old  men,  the  women,  and  the  children  on  their  knees, 
imploring  help  from  on  high.  We  have  often  taken  part 
in  their  night  and  morning  prayers  and  listened  to  the 
chiefs'  instructions.  Black  Robe,  deign  to  take  pity  on  us; 
we  have  decided  henceforth  to  follow  the  teachings  of  the 
white  man's  great  manitou." 

And  now  Father  De  Smet  was  nearing  the  realization 
of  the  plan  for  which  he  had  so  long  labored  and  suffered. 
Conducted  by  a  band  of  Blackfeet,  he  was  going  to  penetrate 
into  the  very  heart  of  the  redoubtable  tribe  in  order  to  bring 
about  a  lasting  peace  between  them  and  the  Flatheads, 
and  to  prepare  the  way  for  Christian  teaching. 

The  day  after  the  feast  of  the  Assumption,  he  left 
St.  Mary's  valley,  accompanied  by  Father  Point  and  a 
group  of  Flatheads  charged  with  the  expression  of  the 
peaceful  intentions  of  their  nation  toward  the  Blackfeet. 
After  crossing  the  Rocky  Mountains,  he  entered  for  the 
third  time  the  dangerous  Yellowstone  valley.  Near  the 
mouth  of  the  Big  Horn  he  turned  northwest,  crossing  an 
arid  and  mountainous  country,  and  for  days  had  only 
brackish,  stagnant  water  to  drink.  At  last,  on  September 
14th,  the  feast  of  the  Exaltation  of  the  Cross,  on  the 
shores  of  the  Judith  River,  a  tributary  of  the  Missouri, 
he  came  upon  the  principal  camp  of  the  Blackfeet.  The 
news  of  the  Flatheads'  victory  had  already  reached  them. 

"The  religion  of  the  Black  Robes,"  they  said,  "is  more 
powerful  than  ours."  Hence  they  received  Father  De 
Smet  with  the  honors  due  a  man  who  spoke  to  the  Great 
Spirit.  Profiting  by  such  favorable  dispositions,  the  mis- 
sionary explained  to  the  Indians  the  elements  of  Chris- 
tianity, dwelling  at  length  upon  the  protection  God  accords 


198     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  SJ. 

those  who  trust  in  Him.  Then  the  Blackfeet  who  had 
fought  in  the  last  battle  against  the  Crows  related  what 
they  had  witnessed  in  the  Flathead  camp.  They  extolled 
above  all  the  power  of  the  Sign  of  the  Cross,  which  appeared 
to  them  a  sure  indication  of  victory.  "To-day  is  truly 
the  feast  of  the  Exaltation  of  the  Cross,"  writes  Father  De 
Smet  in  his  journal. 

For  their  own  interest,  as  well  as  out  of  consideration 
for  the  Black  Robe,  these  fierce  warriors  made  a  truce, 
and  received  as  allies  their  former  enemies.  That  night 
the  Flatheads  and  Blackfeet  recited  evening  prayers 
together.  The  missionary's  soul  was  filled  with  joy  at 
seeing  prostrate  before  the  cross  men  who  had  once  wounded 
each  other  in  bloody  battles  and  whom  deadly  hatred 
had  divided.  In  chorus  they  invoked  "the  Master  of 
life,"  calling  Him  for  the  first  time  their  common  Father. 
All  seemed  to  be  of  one  heart  and  soul. 

The  next  day  was  the  octave  of  the  Nativity  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin.  "I  sang  Mass  in  the  open  air  under  a 
canopy  of  green  boughs,  the  work  of  the  Indians,  and 
implored  the  blessing  of  heaven  upon  these  wandering 
tribes  of  the  desert,  begging  God  to  unite  them  by  the 
ties  of  peace.  Flatheads,  Nez  Perces,  Piegans,  Bloods, 
Grosventres,  and  Blackfeet  of  different  tribes,  to  the 
number  of  more  than  two  thousand,  surrounded  the  humble 
altar  on  which  the  Victim  without  blemish  was  offered  for 
them.  The  perfect  harmony  which  seems  to  animate 
the  Flatheads  and  the  representatives  of  the  other  tribes 
is  unexampled.  One  would  think  that  their  old  quarrels 
had  long  since  been  forgotten,  and  this  is  the  more  remark- 
able, for  it  is  a  part  of  the  Indian's  creed  to  cherish  ven- 
geance against  his  enemy  until  death."21 

Father  De  Smet  remained  several  weeks  among  the 
Blackfeet,  in  order  to  strengthen  their  peaceful  intentions, 
and  continued  to  prepare  them  to  receive  the  Gospel. 
But  the  conversion  of  the  Blackfeet  presented  difficulties 
he  had  not  encountered  among  the  Oregon  tribes.  "These 
are  savages  in  the  full  sense  of  the  word,  accustomed  to 
satiate  their  vengeance  and  to  revel  in  blood  and  carnage. 
They  are  plunged  in  the  grossest  superstitions;  they  wor- 
21  Letter  to  Father  Van  de  Velde,  Fort  Lewis,  Sept.  26,  1846. 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  BLACKFEET         199 

ship  the  sun  and  moon,  offering  them  sacrifices  of  pro- 
pitiation and  thanksgiving.  They  cut  deep  into  their 
own  flesh  and  even  cut  off  the  joints  of  the  fingers.  'I 
offer  you  my  blood,'  they  say  to  their  divinity;  'now  give 
me  success  in  arms,  and  on  my  return  I  will  offer  you  the 
homage  of  the  scalps  of  my  enemies.'"22 

But  despite  their  degraded  condition,  Father  De  Smet 
still  hoped  to  accomplish  some  good  among  them.  He  had 
baptized  several  children  and  every  evening  the  Indians 
crowded  to  his  instructions ;  all  seemed  to  understand  that 
the  missionaries  were  devoted  heart  and  soul  to  their 
welfare.  Father  Point,  who  had  been  so  successful  with 
the  Cceur  d'Alenes  remained  with  the  Blackfeet  to  com- 
plete their  instruction  and  establish  a  mission  for  them 
like  those  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains. 

Fathers  were  too  few  in  number,  however,  to  evangel- 
ize all  the  Western  tribes,  so  Father  De  Smet  set  out  once 
more  for  St.  Louis  to  procure  men  and  money.  He  was 
eager,  moreover,  to  acquaint  his  Superiors  with  the  prog- 
ress the  missions  were  making,  and  to  gain  for  his  work  the 
sanction  of  obedience. 

On  September  28th,  our  missionary  embarked  upon  the 
Missouri  in  a  light  canoe  with  only  two  guides,  and  be- 
gan a  journey  that  lasted  two  months  before  he  reached 
Westport.  He  stopped  frequently  en  route  to  visit  the 
employees  of  the  forts,  and  to  instruct  and  baptize  their 
children.  Along  the  river,  bands  of  Indians  would  signal 
to  him  from  the  shore.  "To  refuse  to  land  would  anger 
them  and  expose  us  to  their  thirst  for  vengeance,  so  through 
prudence  we  landed,  and  rarely  had  cause  to  regret  it. 
We  accepted  the  calumet  and  filled  it  for  them,  and 
exchanged  news.  If  they  saw  our  provisions  were  low, 
they  insisted  upon  giving  us  the  best  spoils  of  the  chase; 
then  we  embraced  and  parted  friends."23 

One  night,  however,  they  encountered  a  real  danger. 
Their  bivouac  fire  betrayed  their  location  to  a  band  of 
Aricaras,  the  sworn  enemies  of  the  white  man.  They 
descended  upon  them,  armed  to  the  teeth,  but  happily 

22  Letter  to  Father  Van  de  Velde,  Sept.  27,  1846. 

23  Letter  to  the  Father  General,  St.  Louis,  Jan.  1,  1847. 


200     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

the  chief  knew  Father  De  Smet,  and  at  sight  of  the  copper 
cross  on  his  breast  he  flung  away  his  tomahawk  and, 
running  to  the  missionary,  embraced  him,  saying:  "I  see 
you  are  about  to  leave  for  the  country  of  souls.  We  did 
not  know  you  were  near,  and  took  you  for  an  enemy." 
Then  they  exchanged  all  the  marks  of  politeness  and 
friendship,  and  the  evening  was  passed  in  rejoicing. 
Before  his  departure  the  Indians  promised  the  missionary 
that  henceforth  they  would  greet  the  white  man  with 
calumet  in  hand. 

Soon  they  came  to  the  country  of  the  Sioux,  and  found 
the  principal  chiefs  assembled  at  Fort  Lookout.  He  told 
them  of  the  conversion  of  the  mountain  tribes  and  of  his 
recent  visit  to  the  Blackfeet.  "And  you,"  he  said  to  the 
Sioux  in  conclusion,  "will  you  receive  the  Black  Robe  who 
wishes  to  live  in  your  plains  and  dwell  in  the  midst  of  you  ? 
Will  you  listen  to  his  words  and  follow  the  path  that 
Jesus  Christ,  Son  of  the  Master  of  life,  came  on  earth  to 
show  us,  for  in  this  path  all  nations  must  tread?  Speak, 
Sioux!  I  am  listening  and  will  carry  your  words  to  the 
great  chiefs  of  the  Black  Robes;  speak  from  your  hearts." 
The  Sioux  deliberated  a  few  moments,  then  the  great 
orator  arose: 

"Black  Robe,"  he  said,  "I  speak  in  the  name  of  the 
chiefs  and  braves.  You  have  spoken  beautiful  words 
about  the  Master  of  life.  We  like  them.  To-day  is  the 
first  time  that  we  have  heard  them.  Black  Robe,  you 
are  only  passing  through  our  country:  to-morrow  we  will 
no  longer  hear  your  voice;  we  shall  be  as  we  have  always 
been,  children  without  a  father  to  guide  them,  like  ignorant 
beasts  of  the  prairie.  Black  Robe,  come  and  build  your 
lodge  in  our  midst;  my  heart  tells  me  that  you  will  be 
listened  to.  We  are  wicked,  we  have  bad  hearts,  but  those 
who  carry  the  good  word  have  never  come  to  us.  Come, 
Black  Robe,  the  Sioux  will  listen  to  you  and  our  children 
shall  be  instructed  by  you."24 

Unfortunately  the  winter  was  approaching;  the  river 
was  already  filling  with  ice,  and  Father  De  Smet  could  not 
delay  an  instant  if  he  wished  to  reach  St.  Louis,  so  it  was 
with  regret  that  he  had  to  put  off  the  present  evangelization 

24  Letter  quoted. 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  BLACKFEET         201 

of  this  tribe,  and  start  to  meet  his  colleagues.  At  Westport 
he  discharged  his  boatmen  and  traveled  overland,  and  on 
December  10th  arrived  at  the  University.  Many,  many 
times  in  the  course  of  his  journey  his  life  was  in  danger. 

Seven  years  had  elapsed  since  his  first  journey  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  "His  prodigious  labors,  travels,  hard- 
ships, and  perils  must  be  placed,"  say  Chittenden  and  Rich- 
ardson, "in  the  very  first  rank  of  similar  exploits.  In  these 
seven  years  he  had  traveled,  by  methods  of  the  time,  a 
distance  equal  to  more  than  twice  the  circumference  of  the 
earth.  He  had  traveled  in  almost  every  clime  and  by 
every  sort  of  conveyance.  From  the  burning  summer  of 
the  equator,  he  had  passed  to  the  frozen  winters  of  54° 
30'  north.  He  had  traveled  by  sailing-vessel,  by  river 
barge,  and  by  canoe;  by  dog-sled  and  snow-shoes;  on 
horseback  and  in  wagon,  and  many  a  long  mile  on  foot. 
He  had  endured  hardships  that  seem  to  us  almost  impos- 
sible, and  which  undoubtedly  were  the  foundation  of  the 
ills  he  later  suffered."25 

But  if  the  work  was  arduous,  the  results  were  most  con- 
soling. Oregon  possessed  more  than  twenty  Christian 
centers.  Upon  the  banks  of  the  Columbia  numerous 
tribes  begged  for  baptism.  In  New  Caledonia  and  West- 
ern Canada  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  Indians  were 
disposed  to  receive  the  word  of  God.  "Three  zealous 
priests,"  writes  Father  Accolti,  "would  suffice  to  carry 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  to  the  Behring  Straits."26  Sub- 
jugated by  the  softening  influence  of  the  Gospel,  the 
Missouri  Indians  gradually  conquered  their  bloodthirsty  in- 
stincts. The  Blackfeet  made  peace  with  the  mountain 
tribes,  and  the  Sioux  were  impatiently  awaiting  the 
arrival  of  the  missionary. 

In  the  course  of  his  travels,  Father  De  Smet  came  in 
contact  with  the  greater  part  of  the  Western  tribes.  He 
knew  their  habits  and  customs  because  he  had  lived  their 
life.  His  frankness,  kindness,  and  self-confidence  had 
gained  for  him  enormous  influence  and  authority  among 
the  Indians. 

25  Chittenden-Richardson,  pp.  56,  57. 

26  Letter  to  Father  Van  de  Velde,  St.  Francis  Xavier  on  the  Willamette, 
June  1, 1847. 

14 


CHAPTER  XII 

THIRD    VOYAGE    TO    EUROPE — PUBLICATION    OF    THE    "LET- 
TERS"— VISIT   TO   THE    SIOUX-  (1847-1848) 

Father  De  Smet  Goes  to  Europe  with  Father  Elet — The  "Journeys  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains  "  and  "  The  Missions  of  Oregon  " — Interest  Manifested 
in  the  Works  of  Father  De  Smet — "Such  a  Book  Revives  Our  Faith 
in  the  Gospel  of  St.  John" — The  Revolution  of  1848 — Arrival  in 
America  of  the  Jesuits  Driven  Out  of  Europe — Across  the  "Bad  Lands" 
— The  Poncas — Father  De  Smet  with  the  Sioux — The  "Scalp  Dance" 
— The  Daughter  of  Red  Fish — Plans  for  a  New  Mission. 

FATHER  VAN  DE  VELDE,  who  three  years  before 
had  succeeded  Father  Verhaegen  as  Vice-Provincial, 
listened  with  lively  interest  to  Father  De  Smet's  account 
of  the  progress  the  missions  were  making.  At  all  costs, 
these  thousands  of  Indians  asking  for  baptism  must  be 
saved.  But  where  to  find  the  missionaries?  The  Vice- 
Province  had  just  lost,  through  Father  De  Theux'  death, 
one  of  its  most  energetic  workers,1  and  the  priests  that 
remained  scarcely  sufficed  for  the  needs  of  Missouri. 
An  appeal  must  be  made  again  to  Belgium.  Father  Elet 
was  about  to  leave  for  Rome  as  Procurator,2  and  it  was 
decided  that  Father  De  Smet  should  accompany  him. 

Father  Elet  had  not  seen  his  native  land  for  twenty-six 
years,  and  since  Father  De  Smet's  last  visit  to  Belgium 
he  had  received  no  word  from  his  family.  The  two 
priests  arrived  in  Belgium  in  the  spring  of  1847,  and  after 
spending  some  days  with  his  people,  Father  De  Smet  ac- 
companied Father  Elet  to  Paris.  While  there  he  visited  the 
church  of  Notre  Dame  des  Victoires,  where  he  returned 
thanks  to  his  powerful  Protectress  for  the  success  of  the 
missions.     Before  leaving  he  conversed  with  the  eminent 

1  Father  De  Theux  died  at  St.  Charles,  Feb.  28,  1846. 

2  Every  three  years  each  province  sent  one  of  its  members  under  the  title 
of  "Procurator"  to  confer  in  its  behalf  with  the  Father  General. 


THIRD  VOYAGE  TO  EUROPE  203 

cure  of  the  parish,  Father  Desgenettes,  and  enrolled  a  large 
number  of  the  newly-converted  Indians  in  the  celebrated 
arch  confraternity.  Returning  to  Belgium,  he  went  to 
Tronchiennes  to  make  a  retreat,  and  there  undertook  a 
new  publication  of  his  "Letters." 

A  French  edition  of  his  Voyages  aux  Montagues  Rocheuses 
— "Journeys  to  the  Rocky  Mountains"3 — had  appeared  in 
1844.  The  work,  originally  published  in  English,  was  soon 
translated  into  Dutch,  German,  and  Italian.4  As  Father 
De  Smet  left  America,  a  second  volume  from  his  pen 
was  about  to  appear.  This  was  an  account  of  his  travels 
during  1845-1846.  "I  hope,"  he  writes  to  his  brothers, 
"that  you  have  received  my  letters  from  the  Upper 
Athabasca.  Fifteen  others  have  just  been  published  in  all 
the  Catholic  magazines  in  the  United  States.  The  entire 
collection  is  now  being  printed  in  New  York,  and  will 
appear  in  a  volume  of  four  hundred  pages  with  illustrations. 
One  hundred  copies  will  be  sent  to  Belgium,  where  I  pro- 
pose to  publish  them  in  French  and  Flemish.  Moreover, 
I  am  bringing  a  map  of  all  the  lakes  and  rivers  in  the 
mountains  through  which  I  have  traveled. "5  The  work 
appeared  under  the  title  of  "The  Oregon  Missions"6  and 
was  not  less  of  a  success  than  its  predecessor. 

The  accounts  of  the  Far  West  published  hitherto  by 
others  had  betrayed  only  a  superficial  observation,  the 
authors'  main  object  being  the  discovery  of  the  source  of 
the  Missouri  or  a  route  to  the  Pacific  across  the  Rocky 
Mountains.7  The  regions  that  Father  De  Smet  describes 
he  knew  thoroughly.  He,  of  all  men  of  his  time,  had  the 
most  profound  knowledge  of  the  Indians,  having  studied 
their  savage  and  primitive  habits  during  a  long  sojourn 
among  the  different  tribes,  and  he  had  many  times  found 
himself  in  situations  more  alarming  than  the  imagination 

3  Published  by  P.  J.  Hanicq,  Mechlin. 

4  For  the  different  editions  of  Father  De  Smet's  Letters,  see  Sommervogel, 
Bibliothhque  de  la   Compagnie  de  Jesus,  Vol.  vii,  Cols.  1307-1310. 

5  Liverpool,  May  7,  1847. 

6  Published  by  Van  der  Schelden,  Ghent. 

7  Lewis  and  Clarke, " Travels  to  the  Source  of  the  Missouri  River"  (1810); 
Washington  Irving,  "Tour  on  the  Prairies"  (1835);  "Astoria"  (1838); 
"Adventures  of  Captain  Bonneville." — To  these  may  be  added  G.  Catlin's 
picturesque  publication,  "Illustration  of  the  Manners,  Customs,  and  Con- 
ditions of  the  North  American  Indians"  (1840). 


204     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  SJ. 

of  the  writers  of  adventure  had  conceived  of.  He  had 
shared  with  the  Indians  the  perils  and  excitements  of  the 
hunt;  rather  than  hurt  their  feelings,  he  had  partaken  of 
feasts  that  turned  his  stomach,  and  had  been  the  instru- 
ment of  those  marvels  of  grace,  conversions  en  masse* 
He  possessed,  moreover,  rare  powers  of  observation,  solid 
common  sense,  and  a  decided  talent  for  narrative.  His 
expressions  are  original  and  his  words  picturesque.  From 
dramatic  scenes  he  passes  to  amusing  anecdotes  and  re- 
flections. His  style  at  times  is  prolix  and  long  drawn  out, 
but  a  certain  misuse  of  terms  is  pardonable  when  one 
considers  that  these  letters  were  written  offhand  and 
under  circumstances  little  favorable  to  style  or  composi- 
tion. Often  it  is  on  a  boat,  in  the  confusion  of  the  coming 
and  going  of  passengers,  or  during  a  halt  after  a  long  day's 
march,  that  the  missionary  takes  his  pen  to  describe  a 
scene  or  record  events.  Moreover,  is  it  not  to  be  wondered 
at  that  this  Fleming  who  left  Belgium  before  completing 
his  studies,  and  who  spoke  for  twenty  years  practically 
only  English  and  the  Indian  dialects,  should  have  retained 
his  knowledge  of  French  and  been  able  to  write  it  fluently  ? 

But  Father  De  Smet  was  devoid  of  all  the  vanity  of  an 
author  and  quite  frankly  excuses  his  "Frangais  un  peu 
sauvage."9  On  several  occasions  he  begged  his  confreres 
in  Belgium  to  revise  his  letters  before  giving  them  to  the 
public,  "to  polish  the  style  and  to  correct  the  faults  of 
orthography."10  This  revision  was  made,  perhaps  with 
more  zeal  than  success,  for  it  seems  to  us  that  the  original, 
even  with  its  faults,  was  more  virile  and  possessed  of  a 
certain  charm  of  its  own. 

His  letters  cover  an  infinite  variety  of  subjects.  A  pro- 
found lover  of  nature,  he  describes  its  grandeur  with  elo- 
quence. The  majestic  solitudes  of  Oregon  perhaps  in- 
spired him  more  than  all  else  and  at  times  he  reads  like 
an  echo  of  the  Psalmist,  Mirabilia  opera  Domini.  He 
describes  delightful  nooks  and  verdant  oases.     He  con- 

8  What  Father  De  Smet  did  not  see  with  his  own  eyes  he  was  informed  of 
from  absolutely  reliable  sources.  Among  his  friends  were  trappers,  traders, 
interpreters,  and  pilots  who  had  lived  for  years  in  the  West  and  shared  the 
life  of  the  Indians.     Cf.  Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  141. 

9  Letter  to  the  Vicar  General  of  Canada,  Sept.  23,  1852. 

10  Letter  to  Father  Terwecoren,  April  5,  1856. 


PUBLICATION  OF  THE  "LETTERS"        205 

templates  with  equal  pleasure  the  tiny  rivulets  and  the 
starry  heavens.  As  a  naturalist,  he  studied  the  habits  of 
animals;  he  was  engrossed  with  botany,  and  often  the 
recital  of  his  labors  is  interrupted  by  the  enumeration  of 
plants  he  has  discovered  and  to  which  he  gives  charming 
names.11  He  was  probably  the  first  to  realize  the  wealth 
that  industry  was  afterward  to  find  hidden  in  the  soil  of  the 
Far  West.12 

But  the  Indians  were  his  absorbing  interest.  He  studied 
their  origin,13  their  tribes,  and  mode  of  life,  but  above  all 
their  religious  ideas.  Before  Longfellow  had  embodied  in 
his  "Hiawatha"  the  ancient  traditions  of  a  race  doomed  to 
extinction,  Father  De  Smet  had  collected  their  simple 
legends,  in  which  one  discerns  their  belief  in  a  Creator, 
the  fall  of  our  first  parents,  the  deluge,  the  dispersion  of 
mankind,  and  in  a  divine  Mediator  who  intercedes  for  us 
with  the  "Master  of  life."14 

One  often  wonders  why  Father  De  Smet  did  not  profit 
by  the  knowledge  he  had  acquired  to  make  a  name  for 
himself  as  a  geographer  or  a  natural  scientist.  The  an- 
swer is  that  he  had  other  desires  than  for  human  glory. 
Following  the  example  of  the  Master,  who  sacrificed  Him- 
self for  the  salvation  of  sinners,  his  sole  ambition  was  to 
gain  souls  to  God,  his  preference  ever  being  work  among 
the  poor,  the  ignorant,  and  the  despised.  He  passionately 
loved  the  Indians.  He  could  not  think  of  them  without 
emotion,  nor  speak  of  them  without  tenderness;  "my 
dear  Potawatomies,"  "my  dear  Flatheads,"  "the  children 

11  See  particularly,  "Journeys  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,"  letter  to  his 
uncle  Rollier. 

12  "The  Oregon  Missions,"  edition  of  1848,  pp.  82,  107,  122. 

13  The  origin  of  the  redskins  is  still  a  disputed  point  in  ethnology.  With 
many  learned  authorities,  Father  De  Smet  maintains  that  "the  Tartars, 
Mongolians,  and  certain  other  races  of  Asia  have  successively  peopled  the 
American  Continent.  However,  it  appears  equally  certain  that  the  peoples 
of  the  ancient  continent  (the  Scandinavians)  also  founded  colonies  here." 
He  bases  his  opinion  on  the  physiological  characteristics,  tombs,  customs, 
traditions,  languages,  religions,  and  astronomical  systems  of  these  divers 
peoples,  and  further  adds:  "A  certain  amount  of  obscurity  will  ever  stand 
in  the  way  of  knowing  the  particular  origin  of  any  one  people  in  the  New 
World;  but  does  not  the  same  obscurity  obtain  with  regard  to  many  peoples 
of  the  Old  World?"  (See  "The  Oregon  Missions,"  edition  of  1848,  No. 
XXXII.     Origin  of  the  American  Races.) 

14  See  especially  "The  Oregon  Missions,"  No.  XXVII.  Chittenden-Rich- 
ardson, pp.  1052-1107. 


206     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

of  my  heart,"  he  called  them.  And  it  was  this  that  made 
his  letters  eloquent  sermons.  "Such  a  book,"  says  a 
Protestant  newspaper,  "revives  our  faith  in  the  Gospel  of 
St.  John.  Here  we  find  a  religion  inspired  by  love,  and 
capable  of  ruling  the  world,  a  religion  that  kneels  humbly 
under  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's  in  Rome  and  at  the  same 
time  regards  the  heavens  from  the  rocky  summits  of 
Oregon."15 

After  publishing  his  "Letters,"  Father  De  Smet  began 
another  begging  tour  in  the  principal  towns  of  Belgium 
and  Holland,  to  obtain  not  only  money,  but  men.  Meeting 
those  attracted  by  a  taste  for  adventure,  he  candidly  told 
them  of  the  dangers  of  a  missionary's  life.  ' ' In  our  wilds," 
he  said,  "a  man  takes  his  life  in  his  hands,  not  because  the 
climate  is  unhealthy — far  from  it;  if  men  died  only  of 
sickness,  they  would  live  to  an  advanced  age ;  but  because 
of  rivers,  forest,  and  prairie,  of  fires,  and  the  guns  and 
shafts  of  savages.  Of  every  hundred  men  who  journey 
through  our  country,  not  ten  escape  them."16 

Despite  his  warnings,  however,  many  young  men  were 
won  over  by  the  apostle  to  the  Indians,  and  said  farewell 
to  their  families.  Among  them  was  Father  Charles  Elet, 
brother  of  Father  John  Elet,  a  young  priest  destined  to 
die  a  saintly  death  a  few  months  after  his  arrival  in  the 
United  States. 

On  April  3,  1848,  Father  De  Smet  and  Father  Elet  sailed 
for  America.  The  crossing  was  a  bad  one.  "For  several 
days,"  he  tells  us,  "I  suffered  from  that  illness  which  does 
not  kill,  but  tries  the  most  patient  of  men.  A  mountainous 
sea  tumbled  us  about,  and  we  staggered  around  on  deck 
in  grotesque  positions.  After  a  wearing  day,  I  sought 
repose,  only  to  be  thrown  out  of  my  berth  by  the  violence 
of  the  sea."17 

On  arriving  in  New  York,  the  travelers  learned  that  the 
Revolution  that  had  dethroned  Louis  Philippe  threatened 
to  sweep  Europe.  In  Paris,  Rome,  Naples,  Berlin,  Vienna, 
and  Prague  the  people  were  in  revolt.     "The  latest  news 

18 Evening  Mirror  of  New  York,  after  the  publication  of  "The  Oregon 
Missions." 

16  "Journeys  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,"  13th  letter. 
»  To  Francis  De  Smet,  New  York,  May  5,  1848. 


PUBLICATION  OF  THE  "LETTERS"        207 

from  Rome,"  writes  the  missionary,  "has  greatly  perturbed 
me.  Our  poor  Pontiff!  Our  poor  religious  orders!  what 
is  to  become  of  them?  Yet  God's  will  be  done!  The  perse- 
cutors will  soon  be  in  a  more  pitiful  condition  than  their 
victims."18 

The  Jesuits,  as  usual,  were  the  first  attacked,  and  many 
sought  refuge  in  America.  Hearing  that  some  priests  were 
about  to  arrive,  Father  De  Smet  remained  several  weeks 
in  New  York  to  receive  them.  After  supplying  them  with 
money  and  starting  them  safely  to  their  destinations,  he 
left  for  St.  Louis.  This  time  he  went  west  by  the  Lake 
route,  the  least  expensive  and  most  agreeable  way,  stopping 
one  day  to  see  the  sublime  Falls  of  Niagara,  that  marvel 
of  American  scenery.    On  July  4th  he  arrived  in  St.  Louis. 

The  Jesuits  recently  arrived  from  Switzerland  and  Italy 
were,  before  long,  appointed  to  their  different  posts.  "Cast 
off  by  the  Old  World,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "they  have 
come  to  offer  themselves  for  the  evangelization  of  the  New, 
and  are  received  with  open  arms.  The  Bishops  all  over  the 
country  have  asked  for  these  priests,  and  already  a  hundred 
of  them  are  exercising  a  peaceful  ministry." 19  Many,  wish- 
ing to  labor  among  the  Indians,  joined  the  Oregon  Missions. 

After  a  few  weeks  spent  in  St.  Louis,  Father  De  Smet 
left  for  another  mission.  It  will  be  recalled  that  on  his 
return  journey  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  the  autumn 
of  1846  Father  De  Smet  remained  some  time  with  the 
Sioux  tribes  on  the  Upper  Missouri.  From  that  time  on 
he  was  consumed  with  a  desire  to  return  to  these  Indians, 
in  order  to  study  their  habits  and  to  see  if  they  were  not 
ready  to  receive  a  missionary.  Joining  some  agents  of  the 
Fur  Company,  he  ascended  the  Missouri  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Nebraska.  From  there  he  went  overland  on  horseback 
in  the  direction  of  the  Niobrara  and  White  rivers,  choosing 
this  mode  of  travel  as  best  suited  for  studying  the  country. 

The  difficulties  of  this  journey  in  summer  through  the 
most  arid  part  of  the  American  plains  were  indescribable. 
Clouds  of  mosquitoes  swarmed  about  the  caravan;  their 
cooking  was  done  over  fires  made  of  buffalo  dung;  after 
a  march  of  twelve  hours  they  found  that  there  was  no  water 

18  To  Father  Parrin,  New  York,  May  5,  1848. 

19  To  Charles  De  Smet,  St.  Louis,  July  30,  1848. 


208     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

at  their  place  of  encampment,  and  mirage,  that  phenome- 
non of  the  desert,  aggravated  the  torments  of  thirst.  They 
beheld  shimmering  lakes  and  flowing  rivers  upon  the  hori- 
zon, and  dreaming  of  shade  and  verdure,  pressed  on.  As 
the  hours  sped  by,  their  illusions  increased.  Exhausted 
and  panting,  they  fought  their  way,  unconscious  that  the 
illusive  vision  was  ever-receding,  and  would  finally  dis- 
appear. 

The  caravan  marched  for  six  days  without  seeing  an 
Indian  or  any  habitation  until  they  came  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Niobrara,  the  home  of  the  Poncas.  Father  De  Smet 
seems  to  have  kept  an  agreeable  remembrance  of  this  coura- 
geous tribe,  which  he  calls  "the  Flatheads  of  the  Plains." 
The  Black  Robe  was  most  cordially  received  by  the 
Indians,  and  the  calumet  was  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth. 
The  assembly,  numbering  nearly  a  thousand,  heard  for  the 
first  time  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  mouth  of  a 
Catholic  priest.  Unable  to  remain  with  them,  Father  De 
Smet  baptized  the  young  children  and  left,  as  catechist,  a 
well-instructed  half-breed  Catholic. 

The  route  to  the  Sioux  lay  through  the  Bad  Lands. 
"This  region  is  the  most  unique  of  any  I  have  met  in  my 
journeys,"  says  Father  De  Smet.  "The  action  of  the  rain, 
snow,  and  wind  upon  the  argillaceous  soil  is  scarcely  credi- 
ble; and  the  combined  influence  of  these  elements  renders 
it  the  theater  of  most  singular  scenery.  Viewed  at  a  dis- 
tance, these  lands  exhibit  the  appearance  of  great  villages 
and  ancient  castles,  but  of  such  a  capricious  style  of  archi- 
tecture that  they  seem  to  belong  to  some  new  world,  or  to 
ages  far  remote.  Here  a  majestic  Gothic  tower,  surrounded 
with  turrets,  rises  in  noble  grandeur,  and  there  enormous 
columns  seem  reared  to  support  the  vault  of  heaven. 
Further  on  you  may  descry  a  fort  with  mantellated  walls, 
beaten  by  the  tempest;  its  hoary  parapets  seem  to  have 
sustained,  during  many  successive  ages,  the  assaults  of 
tempests,  earthquakes,  and  thunder.  Cupolas  of  colossal 
proportions,  and  pyramids  which  recall  the  gigantic  labors 
of  ancient  Egypt,  rise  in  air.  The  atmospheric  agents  act 
upon  them  with  such  effect  that  probably  in  the  course  of 
a  year  or  two  these  strange  constructions  are  transformed 
or  destroyed. 


MASS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS— PREACHING  TO  THE  SIOUX 


VISIT  TO  THE  SIOUX  209 

"The  settler  will  try  in  vain  to  cultivate  this  fluctuating 
and  sterile  soil.  But  though  it  offers  no  interest  to  the 
farmer  or  botanist,  the  geologist  may  find  abundant 
material  for  study  and  illustration ;  here  are  found  petrified 
remains  of  the  largest  of  known  quadrupeds,  the  mastodon, 
mingled  with  those  of  the  mountain  hare.  I  have  seen  well- 
preserved  skulls,  horns,  and  tortoises  so  large  that  two 
men  could  scarcely  lift  them."  20 

After  crossing  this  arid  region,  the  missionary  at  last 
reached  the  Sioux  camp.  The  Sioux  or  Dakotas,  divided 
into  several  groups,  numbered  thirty  or  forty  thousand, 
and  formed  the  most  powerful  and  warlike  of  the  North 
American  Indian  tribes.  The  different  Sioux  tribes  spoke 
much  the  same  language  and  were  scattered  over  both  sides 
of  the  Missouri  River  north  of  the  Niobrara. 

Some  of  these  tribes,  such  as  the  Santees,  the  Yanktons, 
the  Brules,  and  the  Ogallalas,  were  at  that  time  camped 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Peter,  between  the  White  and 
Cheyenne  rivers.  When  Father  De  Smet  came  upon  the 
Sioux,  he  found  them  reveling  in  all  the  horrors  of  their 
primitive  savagery.  Several  warriors  had  just  returned 
from  an  expedition  against  the  Omahas,  carrying  thirty- 
two  scalps  dangling  from  their  lances  and  horses'  bits. 
At  the  sight  of  these  hideous  trophies  the  whole  tribe 
jumped  and  shouted  with  joy.  The  ' '  scalp  dance  and  feast ' ' 
was  celebrated  with  the  most  discordant  yells  and  horri- 
ble contortions.  They  planted  a  post  daubed  with  ver- 
milion in  the  middle  of  the  camp;  the  warriors  danced 
around  it,  the  scalps  swaying  with  each  movement.  To 
the  deafening  accompaniment  of  drums,  each  man  howled 
his  war-song,  then,  striking  the  pole  with  his  tomahawk, 
proclaimed  the  victims  it  had  immolated,  exhibiting  osten- 
tatiously the  scars  of  the  wounds  he  had  received.  These 
depraved  customs  were  the  natural  consequence  of  their 
barbarous  instincts.  Contact  with  the  white  man  had 
developed  vices  unknown  among  the  Oregon  tribes,  but 
despite  all  this,  the  Sioux  received  the  ambassador  of  the 
Great  Spirit  enthusiastically.     An  event  that  took  place 

20  Letter  to  Victorine  Van  Kerckhove,  St.  Louis,  May  2,  1848.  The'Amer- 
ican  geologist,  Hayden,  visited  this  desert  in  1855  and  brought  back  numer- 
ous specimens  which  he  gave  to  the  National  Museum  at  Washington. 


210    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

two  days  after  his  arrival  won  for  Father  De  Smet  the  con- 
fidence of  the  Indians. 

The  Ogallalas  had  invaded  the  country  of  the  Crows, 
and  had  met  them  in  battle.  The  latter  fought  bravely, 
killing  ten  or  twelve  of  their  aggressors  and  driving  the 
others  off  with  clubs.  The  daughter  of  Red  Fish,  the  great 
chief  of  the  Ogallalas,  was  taken  captive  by  the  Crows. 
Crushed  and  humiliated,  he  left  his  tribe  to  go  to  Fort 
Peter,  to  ask  the  officers'  assistance  in  obtaining  his  daugh- 
ter's release,  offering  eighty  beautiful  buffalo  robes  for  her 
ransom  as  well  as  his  best  horses.  He  then  sought  out 
Father  De  Smet. 

"Black  Robe,"  he  sobbed,  "you  see  before  you  an  un- 
happy father  who  has  lost  his  beloved  daughter.  Have 
pity  on  me!  I  have  been  told  that  the  Black  Robe's 
prayers  are  powerful  with  the  Great  Spirit.  Speak  to  the 
Master  of  life  for  me,  and  I  shall  not  then  despair  of  again 
seeing  my  child." 

These  words,  and  the  old  man's  deep  sorrow,  moved 
the  missionary.  He  promised  to  pray  for  his  daughter's 
return,  but  admonished  the  chief  that  it  rested  with  him- 
self to  dispose  heaven  in  his  favor,  through  his  own  good 
conduct.  He  then  made  him  forswear  all  unjust  aggres- 
sions against  the  neighboring  tribes,  and  summoned  him, 
with  his  tribe,  to  listen  to  the  commands  of  the  Great 
Spirit. 

The  next  day  Father  De  Smet  offered  the  Holy  Sacrifice, 
at  which  the  Indian  chief  assisted,  imploring,  in  a  loud 
voice,  the  help  of  God.  When  Red  Fish  returned  to  his 
camp,  he  assembled  his  warriors  and  informed  them  of  his 
interview  with  the  Black  Robe.  Suddenly,  joyful  cries 
came  from  the  extremity  of  the  camp.  They  rushed  forth 
to  inquire  the  cause,  and  saw  the  captive  daughter  return- 
ing. The  old  chief  could  scarcely  believe  his  senses.  He 
ran  from  his  tent  to  receive  his  child,  who  threw  herself 
into  his  arms.  But  how  did  it  happen?  The  young  girl 
told  her  story : 

' '  From  the  time  of  my  capture  I  was  tied  by  my  hands 
and  feet  to  stakes  driven  into  the  ground.  One  night  an 
unknown  woman  came  and  loosened  my  cords.  She  then 
gave  me  food  and  several  pairs  of  moccasins,  and  said  to  me 


VISIT  TO  THE  SIOUX  211 

in  low  tones,  'Rise  and  return  to  your  father.'  I  started 
off  at  once  and  walked  all  night.  At  daybreak  I  hid  in 
the  hollow  of  a  tree.  Some  hours  later,  a  band  of  warriors 
who  were  looking  for  me  passed  by  without  seeing  me. 
Not  finding  my  tracks  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  they 
returned  to  camp.  At  nightfall  I  again  set  out,  and  in 
this  manner  I  walked  six  days  and  nights  until  I  had  the 
joy  of  finding  my  father." 

Who  was  this  woman  who  liberated  her?  Father  De 
Smet  does  not  tell  us,  but  he  asserts  the  event  happened 
during  the  night  of  the  day  he  celebrated  Mass  at  Fort 
Peter.21  During  the  daughter's  recital  the  Indians  raised 
their  hands  toward  heaven  in  thanksgiving  to  the  Great 
Spirit.  Soon  the  news  spread  from  tribe  to  tribe.  The 
Sioux,  after  this  proof  of  the  efficacy  of  Christian  prayer, 
showed  themselves  disposed  to  listen  to  the  missionary. 
Father  De  Smet  spent  several  weeks  visiting  the  Indians. 
All  sought  the  honor  of  receiving  him  in  their  lodges,  where 
he  sat  at  the  feasts  spread  for  him,  and,  taking  advantage 
of  these  reunions,  instructed  his  hosts,  showing  them  the 
folly  of  their  superstitious  practices,  exhorting  them  to  live 
in  peace  with  their  neighbors,  preaching  temperance  and 
justice,  and  dwelling  upon  the  Last  Judgment,  which  will 
bring  joy  to  the  elect  and  despair  to  the  wicked. 

The  Sioux  listened  to  him  with  respectful  attention; 
many  asked  for  baptism  and  promised  to  live  Christian 
lives.  Judging  that  they  were  not  yet  sufficiently  in- 
structed, and  wishing  to  put  their  perseverance  to  the  test, 
Father  De  Smet  baptized  only  the  children  and  some  old 
men,  two  of  whom  were  nonagenarians. 

"We  have  always  loved  the  Great  Spirit,"  they  said. 
' '  Knowing  no  other  prayer,  we  have  offered  Him  daily  the 
first  smoke  of  the  calumet." 

Winter  was  now  coming  on,  and  the  missionary  was 
obliged  to  quit  his  neophytes.  He  embarked  on  the 
Missouri  and  duly  covered  the  fifteen  hundred  miles  to 
St.  Louis.  Ordinarily  so  confident  of  the  future  of  the 
Indian  missions,  Father  De  Smet  this  time  showed  a  cer- 
tain reserve  in  speaking  about  his  plans.  "What  I  have  seen 
is  far  from  encouraging  for  a  missionary.  There  is  a  great 
21  Cf.  Selected  Letters,  3d  Series,  pp.  1 51-153. 


212     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  SJ. 

difference  between  the  Flatheads  and  the  other  tribes 
west  of  the  mountains  and  the  Sioux.  Would  a  mission 
be  feasible?  My  own  experience  and  my  sojourn  among 
the  Sioux  compel  me  to  place  confidence  in  Him  alone 
who  holds  in  His  hands  the  most  hardened  of  hearts  and 
most  recalcitrant  of  wills.  I  hope  that  in  the  course  of 
this  year  something  may  be  done  for  these  unfortunate 
Indians."  22 

This  hope,  alas!  was  not  to  be  realized.  Although  he 
labored  unremittingly  in  their  behalf,  Father  De  Smet 
never  lived  to  see  a  mission  established  among  the  Sioux. 
For  years  he  continued  to  visit  them  and  instruct  and 
baptize  their  children  and  old  people,  and  he  prolonged 
the  existence  of  the  tribe  by  fighting  against  and  defeating 
the  efforts  of  the  white  man  to  exterminate  them. 

22  Letter  to  Emilie  Van  Kerckhove,  St.  Louis,  May  4,  1849. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

FATHER  DE  SMET,  ASSISTANT  TO  THE  VICE-PROVINCIAL  AND 
PROCURATOR   GENERAL   OF    MISSOURI    (1849) 

Father  Van  de  Velde,  Appointed  Bishop  of  Chicago,  is  Replaced  by- 
Father  De  Smet — The  Missouri  Vice-Province  in  1849 — Father  De 
Smet  Socius — His  Firmness — His  Goodness — History  of  Watomika — 
Father  De  Smet's  Attachment  to  the  Kansas  Missions — St.  Mary's 
Mission  to  the  Potawatomies — Fathers  C.  Hoecken,  Duerinck,  etc. — 
St.  Francis  Hieronymo's  Mission  to  the  Osages — Fathers  Schoenmakers 
and  Bax — A  New  Apostolic  Vicariate — Bishop  Miege — Father  De 
Smet  as  Procurator — His  Capable  Administration — His  Efforts  to 
Obtain  Money — Providence  Comes  to  His  Aid — Gratitude  to  Bene- 
factors— "A  Year  of  Accidents" — Father  De  Smet  during  the  Cholera 
and  the  Great  Fire — St.  Louis  University  Saved  through  the  Inter- 
cession of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

FATHER  DE  SMET  was  wholly  wrapped  up  in  his 
plans  for  new  mission  foundations,  when  his  Superiors' 
orders  suspended  the  work.  On  Father  Elet  had  devolved, 
for  several  months,  the  duties  of  Vice-Provincial.  Father 
Van  de  Velde  was  named  Assistant  Vice-Provincial  and 
Procurator  of  Missouri,  but  hardly  had  he  entered  upon  his 
duties  when  he  was  appointed  by  the  Sovereign  Pontiff 
to  the  See  of  Chicago. 

A  zealous  worker,  possessed  of  rare  intellectual  culture,, 
coupled  with  a  gentle,  lovable  nature,  Father  Van  de  Velde 
was  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  distinguished  priests  in 
the  United  States.  In  looking  about  for  a  successor,  the 
Fathers  remembered  that  Father  De  Smet  had,  on  a 
former  occasion,  when  Procurator  of  the  college,  evinced 
undoubted  administrative  ability.  So  to  him  was  confided 
(at  least  provisionally)  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  the 
office  which  Father  Van  de  Velde  had  vacated.1 

1  "The  duties  of  the  office  I  now  occupy  absorb  my  whole  time,  and  there 
is  no  one  to  relieve  me.  We  have  many  churches,  colleges,  and  schools  in 
the  United  States  and  are,  alas!  too  few  in  number  for  this  heavy  charge. 


2i4     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

This  appointment  demanded  a  painful  sacrifice  from  the 
missionary  engaged  upon  work  rich  in  promise.  Never- 
theless, Father  De  Smet  obeyed  cheerfully.  "Father  Van 
de  Velde's  duties  have  for  the  moment  been  laid  upon  my 
poor  shoulders,"  he  writes,  "and  I  shall  endeavor  to  dis- 
charge them  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  and  render  every 
service  within  my  power  to  the  different  houses  in  the 
Vice-Province."  2 

We  will  now  follow  him  in  the  discharge  of  his  new 
functions. 

The  Vice-Province  of  Missouri  at  that  time  numbered 
about  two  hundred  Jesuits.  Besides  the  St.  Louis  Uni- 
versity and  the  Florissant  novitiate,  it  possessed  colleges  at 
Bardstown,  Louisville,  and  Cincinnati,  and  ten  small 
houses. 

The  Louisiana  Mission  had  been  restored  in  1847  to  the 
French  Jesuits  of  the  Lyons  Province.3  The  Oregon  and 
Rocky  Mountain  Missions  passed,  in  185 1,  under  the  imme- 
diate control  of  the  General  of  the  Jesuits,  and  three 
years  later  were  attached  to  the  Turin  Province.  The 
Osage  and  Potawatomi  Missions  in  Kansas  were  each 
served  by  ten  Jesuits,  who  ministered  to  flourishing 
Christian  communities. 

In  his  quality  of  socius  or  assistant,  Father  De  Smet 
aided  Father  Elet  in  the  administration  of  the  Province, 
attended  to  a  large  part  of  the  correspondence,  and  ac- 
companied him  on  his  visits  to  the  colleges  and  missions. 

While  the  office  of  Assistant  Vice-Provincial  was  not  one 
of  responsibility,  it  entailed  routine  work  and  left  little 
initiative  to  the  incumbent.  God  alone  knows  what  it 
cost  that  energetic,  enterprising  missionary  to  submit 
to  the  limitations  and  drudgery  of  secretarial  work.  "I 
am  like  a  soldier,"  he  writes  one  of  his  friends.  "Upon 
receiving  an  order  I  obey  instantly  and  go  where  I  am  sent, 

I  trust  other  Fathers  will  soon  arrive  from  Europe.  When  I  can  be  relieved 
of  this  position,  I  hope  to  receive  the  longed-for  permission  to  return  once 
more  to  the  Indians."  (Letter  of  Father  De  Smet  to  Mr.  Monroe,  the  Black- 
feet's  interpreter,  St.  Louis,  June  12,  1850.) 

2  Letter  to  Father  Smedts,  St.  Louis,  March  5,  1849. 

3  This   mission,  it  will   be   remembered,  was  annexed  to  the  Missouri 
Vice-Province  in  1840. 


PROCURATOR  GENERAL  OF  MISSOURI    215 

but,  like  the  soldier,  I  too  have  my  preferences,  and  need 
I  say  they  are  for  the  land  of  the  Indians?"  And  again, 
"I  long  for  the  plains,  the  deserts,  the  wild  life  of  the 
Indians,  with  its  dangers,  privation,  and  fatigues,  which 
were,  in  truth,  treats  compared  to  the  monotony  of  my 
present  existence."4 

But  if  the  work  weighed  heavily  upon  him,  Father  De 
Smet's  Superiors  had  no  reason  to  regret  his  choice  as 
Assistant  Vice-Provincial.  During  the  absence  or  illness 
of  the  Vice-Provincial  he  was  forced  to  decide  grave  mat- 
ters and  solve  difficulties ;  to  say  the  word  of  encouragement 
or  administer  reproof.  Every  line  of  his  correspondence 
reveals  sound  judgment,  breadth  of  view,  and  fair  and 
kindly  dealings  with  his  fellow-workers.  Obliged  to  treat 
with  men  of  different  nationalities,  he  applied  himself  to 
inspire  them  with  the  sole  object  of  laboring  for  God's 
glory.  "In  the  world  in  which  we  live,  few  people  are 
content,  and  the  greater  number  murmur  and  find  much 
to  complain  of.  Happy  are  those,  especially  in  our 
Society,  who  keep  in  view  only  ad  major  em  Dei  gloriam, 
regardless  of  national  prejudices,  the  pest  of  religious 
communities.  I  pity  with  all  my  heart  the  man  subject 
to  this  frailty."  5 

His  upright  nature  scorned  the  subterfuges  of  self-love, 
and  practiced  rigid  obedience.  "He  who  is  not  content 
unless  exercising  authority  or  left  to  do  his  own  will — 
such  a  man  is  not  religious.6  If  our  motive  in  entering 
the  Society  was  to  occupy  positions  of  authority,  and  to 
seek  only  work  that  pleased  us,  we  had  done  better  to 
remain  in  the  world.  The  spirit  of  domination  and  at- 
tachment to  one's  own  will  are  stumbling-blocks  and 
obstacles  in  the  path  of  virtue.  From  these  follow,  not 
infrequently,  lukewarmness  in  meditation  and  prayer, 
distaste  for  our  holy  vocation,  and  the  habit  of  complaining 
against  the  attitude  and  orders  of  our  Superiors.  This 
path  leads  not  to  heaven,  and  in  it  we  find  only  ennui, 
restlessness,  and  dejection.  .  .  .  Ever  present  must  be  the 
object  for  which  we  have  left  all,  father,  mother,  brothers, 

4  Quoted  by  Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  58. 

5  To  Father  Helias  d'Huddeghem,  St.  Louis,  July  19,  1850. 

6  To  Father  Druyts,  July  4,  1854. 


216    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

sisters,  and  country.  Nor  must  trifles  or  inordinate  af- 
fections distract  us  from  it.  Heaven  is  truly  a  great 
reward."  7 

Although  frank  and  outspoken,  Father  De  Smet  was 
ever  considerate  of  the  feelings  of  others.  If  he  had  reason 
to  suspect  that  a  fellow-priest  nourished  any  resentment 
toward  him,  he  at  once  assured  him  of  his  unalterable 
friendship:  "Tell  Father  X that  all  is  long  since  par- 
doned and  forgotten,  and  that  I  have  never  entertained  any 
feelings  of  bitterness.  There  have  been  in  his  regard,  alas, 
misunderstandings  and  differences,  which  have  had  sad 
results,  but  I  attribute  them  to  the  devil,  jealous  of  the 
good  intentions  of  the  Indians  and  the  great  good  that  is 
being  accomplished  by  the  missions."  8 

Being  of  a  sensitive  nature,  the  slightest  suspicion  or 
sign  of  distrust  caused  him  acute  suffering.  "It  would 
give  me  great  pleasure  to  see  you  in  St.  Louis,"  he  writes 
to  his  Superior,  "and  I  am  confident  that  ten  minutes' 
conversation  would  put  things  right,  and  dispel  the  preju- 
dices and  unfriendliness  your  letters  so  often  betray. 
What  has  occasioned  these  feelings,  I  am  at  a  loss  to 
explain,  but  I  can  assure  you  I  have  never  experienced 
other  sentiments  than  respect  and  love  for  your  Rever- 
ence." 9 

Father  De  Smet's  genial  nature  was  devoid  of  harshness ; 
he  was  always  approachable  and  kindly  considerate  in  his 
dealing  with  his  fellows.  He  understood  the  value  of  kind 
words,  of  timely  encouragement,  and  was  not  sparing  in 
merited  praise,  a  necessity  in  many  circumstances.  All, 
even  the  youngest,  were  treated  with  the  utmost  considera- 
tion. On  one  occasion,  a  scholastic  wrote  to  ask  his 
prayers.  In  reply,  he  received  the  following  charming 
letter:  "You  ask  me  to  say  a  Mass  for  your  intentions. 
I  will  say  not  one  Mass,  but  six,  as  soon  as  possible.  When- 
ever you  wish  prayers  for  some  particular  intention,  let 
me  know  and  I  will  say  Masses  for  you."10 

That  Father  De  Smet's  subordinates  remained  his  friends 

7  To  Father  Maes,  Feb.  13,  1851. 

8  To  Father  Joset,  Jan.  21,  1851. 

9  St.  Louis,  July  31,  1849. 

10  To  Brother  L.  Heylen,  April  19,  1856. 


PROCURATOR  GENERAL  OF  MISSOURI    217 

is  due  to  his  simplicity  of  manner  and  his  cordial  kindness : 
among  these  he  counted  none  more  devoted  than  a  young 
Jesuit,  Jacques  Bouchard,  better  known  by  his  Indian 
name,  Watomika,  "The  Swift-footed  Man."  The  story  of 
this  convert  written  by  himself  is  singularly  touching. 
Through  his  mother,  Marie  Bouchard,  Watomika  was 
descended  from  an  Auvergne  family  that  had  emigrated 
during  the  Revolution.  His  father,  Kistalwa,  belonged 
to  the  Delaware  tribe,  formerly  one  of  the  most  powerful 
tribes  in  America.  Kistalwa' s  integrity  and  courage  won 
for  him  the  greatest  distinction  his  tribe  could  bestow: 
he  was  made  chief.  He  cherished  a  burning  resentment 
against  the  United  States  for  having  usurped  the  lands  of 
his  fathers,  and  he  instilled  in  his  son  a  hatred  of  the  white 
man.  Watomika  was  brought  up  in  paganism,  and  in  his 
early  childhood  was,  of  course,  taught  to  ride  and  use  the 
bow  and  tomahawk.  At  nine  years  of  age  he  accompanied 
the  chief,  his  father,  to  the  hunt,  astonishing  by  his  daring 
the  most  intrepid  hunters.  One  day  the  news  came  that  a 
Delaware  had  just  been  killed  by  a  band  of  Sioux.  Kis- 
talwa at  once  assembled  his  braves  and  started  in  pursuit 
of  the  enemy.     Watomika  begged  to  join  the  expedition. 

"Are  you  not  afraid  of  being  scalped  by  the  Sioux?" 
asked  his  father. 

"If  my  father  is  a  coward,  then  I,  too,  am  a  coward," 
replied  the  child. 

Delighted  with  this  reply,  Kistalwa  consented.  But 
Monotawan,  "the  white  gazelle" — it  was  thus  the  Indians 
called  Marie  Bouchard — was  in  despair.  Placing  her 
hands  upon  her  son's  head,  she  implored  the  protection  of 
the  Great  Spirit,  and  as  the  warriors  disappeared  in  the 
distance  the  poor  mother  repeated,  sobbing:  "Watomika, 
my  dear  Watomika!     I  shall  never  see  you  again!" 

Soon  the  Delawares  overtook  the  Sioux,  and,  though 
inferior  in  numbers,  descended  upon  them  and  a  frightful 
encounter  ensued.  Kistalwa's  thunderous  voice  urged 
on  the  combat.  Watomika,  though  wounded  in  the  leg, 
fought  valiantly  at  his  father's  side.  Suddenly  Kistalwa 
fell  mortally  wounded,  and  then  the  Delawares,  goaded  to 
madness  by  the  loss  of  their  chief,  succeeded  in  putting 
the  Sioux  to  flight. 

15 


218     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Following  the  custom  of  his  tribe,  Watomika  daily- 
placed  on  his  father's  tomb  his  favorite  dishes,  until  he 
dreamed  that  the  deceased  had  entered  "the  land  of  the 
living."  But  God  was  already  preparing  to  enlighten  his 
soul  with  the  light  of  true  faith. 

Soon  afterward  a  Protestant  mission  was  established  in 
his  country.  The  Presbyterian  minister  in  charge  was 
greatly  impressed  by  this  Indian  boy's  intelligence,  and 
offered  to  send  him  to  Marietta  College  in  Ohio,  in  order 
that  he  might  study  the  religion  of  the  white  man.  The 
idea  filled  the  child  of  the  wilderness  with  revulsion  at 
first.  Abandon  the  land  of  his  ancestors  and  the  mother 
he  loved,  to  live  among  strangers  whom  he  had  been  taught 
to  hate?  But  as  time  passed,  an  irresistible  impulse  de- 
cided him  to  accept  the  minister's  offer. 

This  neophyte  of  twelve  years,  just  emerged  from  sav- 
agery, applied  himself  diligently  to  the  study  of  what  he 
was  told  was  truth.  Gifted  with  rare  intelligence  and 
marked  religious  propensities,  Watomika  possessed,  more- 
over, a  delicately  sensitive  nature.  He  spent  hours  every 
day  in  prayer  and  meditation  upon  divine  things.  He 
fasted  strictly  once  a  week,  eating  his  first  meal  at  sun- 
down. His  studies  once  completed,  the  ardent  neophyte 
longed  to  devote  his  life  to  preaching  the  new  Gospel  and 
prepared  himself  for  his  work  by  prayer  and  fasting.  But 
in  probing  the  doctrine  of  Calvin,  he  was  assailed  by 
doubts  and  unrest  of  mind,  which  his  austerities  could 
not  calm.  In  his  great  distress,  Watomika  sought  light 
from  on  high,  ready  to  follow  it  at  any  sacrifice.  Just  at 
this  time  an  order  came  for  him  to  proceed  to  St.  Louis 
to  replace  an  absent  colleague.  There  God  awaited 
him. 

A  chance  stroll  brought  him  one  day  before  the  Jesuit 
church  at  the  hour  when  the  children  attended  catechism 
class.  He  entered.  The  altar,  the  crucifix,  the  image  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  made  an  impression  upon  him  which  he 
could  not  explain.  With  respectful  attention  he  followed 
the  priest's  instructions.11  The  lesson  that  day  dealt  with 
the  very  questions  upon  which  this  distracted  soul  had 
longed  for  enlightenment.     He  returned  home  in  a  more 

11  This  priest  was,  most  probably,  Father  Damen. 


PROCURATOR  GENERAL  OF  MISSOURI    219 

tranquil  frame  of  mind;  but  now  only  the  full  light  of 
truth  could  satisfy  him. 

Watomika's  knowledge  of  Catholicism  was  based  upon 
calumnious  reports,  but  notwithstanding  this  he  did  not 
hesitate  to  seek  relief  from  a  priest,  nay,  even  a  Jesuit. 
To  him  he  told  all  his  doubts  and  troubles.  Grace  did  the 
rest.  Watomika  abjured  his  errors  and  a  few  months  later 
asked  to  be  admitted  to  the  Society  of  Jesus. 

Entering  the  Florissant  novitiate  at  twenty-four  years  of 
age,  he  was  in  due  time  ordained  priest.  This  proud 
descendant  of  the  Delaware  chiefs,  and  erstwhile  disciple 
of  Calvin,  wrote  to  Father  De  Smet:  "My  one  desire,  and 
the  object  for  which  I  pray  daily,  is  to  live  and  die  a  true 
son  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  in  whatever  function  or  place 
God  assigns  me  through  the  voice  of  my  Superiors." 

One  can  easily  imagine  the  tender  friendship  that  sprang 
up  between  these  two  Jesuits.  The  apostle  to  the  Indians 
felt  that  in  this  new  convert,  uplifted  to  an  exalted  state, 
he  beheld  the  first  fruits  of  a  race  that  had  been  unjustly 
despised.  Watomika,  now  called  Father  Bouchard,  in 
turn  recognized  in  the  missionary  the  most  devoted  de- 
fender of  his  oppressed  people.  When  he  beheld  the 
Delawares  despoiled  of  their  lands  in  defiance  of  treaties, 
it  was  to  Father  De  Smet  that  he  confided  his  grief.12 

Father  Bouchard  was  appointed  to  the  San  Francisco 
Mission,  and  during  a  residence  there  of  thirty  years  he 
enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  a  distinguished  orator  and 
was  venerated  for  his  virtues.  During  this  time  he  never 
forgot  the  missionary  who  had  received  him  so  paternally 
when  he  was  entering  upon  his  new  life.  "Pray  for  me 
and  write  to  me  often,"  he  said.  "Would  that  I  could 
always  be  near  you."13 

But  the  missions  ever  remained  Father  De  Smet's  chief 

12  "Had  the  insolent  American  put  his  foot  upon  my  throat,  I  could  not 
have  suffered  greater  pain  and  bitterness."  (Letter  to  Father  De  Smet. 
Chicago,  Nov.  1 1,  1857.)  "I  can  but  weep  and  sigh  over  the  ruin  of  my 
beloved  tribe.  They  deserve  a  better  fate.  But  what  can  one  expect 
from  a  Government  devoid  of  loyalty,  and  an  avaricious  nation  whose  only 
God  is  the  almighty  dollar  and  which  covets  the  land  of  a  defenceless  people? 
My  heart  bleeds  at  the  thought  of  the  future  of  my  tribe,  ruined,  corrupted, 
destroyed  by  the  blood-stained  hands  of  a  so-called  liberal  Government." 
(To  Father  De  Smet,  Leavenworth,  July  1,  1857.) 

13  It  was  doubtless  at  the  time  of  his  departure  for  California  that  Father 


220     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

preoccupation.  Further  on  we  shall  tell  what  he  did  for 
the  Oregon  Missions.  At  present  let  us  review  his  ef- 
forts in  behalf  of  the  missions  in  Kansas.  We  have  already- 
spoken  about  the  Potawatomies  of  Council  Bluffs.14 
Shortly  after  Father  De  Smet's  departure,  Fathers  Verreydt 
and  Hoecken,  despairing  of  reforming  incorrigible  drunk- 
ards, departed  for  Sugar  Creek,  south  of  Westport,  where 
another  band  of  Potawatomies  in  the  charge  of  a  Breton 
priest,  Father  Petit,15  had  lately  arrived.  This  tribe, 
comprising  two  thousand  Indians,  was  already  half  Chris- 
tian,16 and  hence  it  was  imperative  that  they  should  have 
schools.  Father  De  Smet  immediately  thought  of  the 
Ladies  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

"Believe  me,"  he  said  to  Mother  Gallitzin,  who  at  that 
time  was  upon  a  tour  of  inspection  of  the  American  houses, 
"you  will  never  succeed  in  this  country  unless  you  call 
down  the  blessing  of  heaven  by  founding  schools  for  the 
Indians." 

' '  Such  is  my  earnest  wish,  Father.  But  we  have  neither 
money  nor  teachers." 

"Nevertheless,  Reverend  Mother,  it  must  be  done." 

Then  he  addressed  Madam  Duchesne,  and  represented 
the  advantages  of  a  foundation  at  Sugar  Creek,  for  the 
place  had  to  be  secured  at  once  in  order  to  forestall  the 
Presbyterians  and  Methodists.  Although  she  was  in  her 
seventy-first  year,  that  heroic  woman  asked  to  be  allowed 
to  go  herself  to  the  Indians.     "How  good  it  is  to  serve 

Bouchard  sent  Father  De  Smet  the  following  acrostic,  Remember  Wato- 
mika: 

When  friends  once  linked  by  ties  so  dear 

A  long  and  sad  farewell  must  give, 

Their  former  woes  and  pleasures  seem 

Oft  does  the  heart  when  all  alone 

.Mindful  regard  the  parted  form 

In  all  that  can  the  soul  absorb. 

iCind  friend,  'tis  thus  I'll  muse  on  thee 

And  think  that  thou  art  always  near. 
Farewell! 

In  regard  to  the  apostolate  of  Father  Bouchard  at  San  Francisco,  see  The 
Woodstock  Letters,  Vol.  XIX,  p.  302. 

14  See  Chapter  V. 

v  In  regard  to  the  life  and  virtues  of  this  admirable  missionary,  see 
The  Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  July,  1839,  p.  379,  et  seq. 

16  Father  Badin  of  New  Orleans  and  Father  Desseille  of  Bruges  preceded 
Father  Petit  at  this  mission. 


PROCURATOR  GENERAL  OF  MISSOURI    221 

God  gratuitously  and  at  His  expense!  If  we  can  obtain 
four  hundred  dollars  to  begin  with  we  will  leave  in  the 
spring." 

Father  De  Smet  soon  carried  to  Mother  Gallitzin  five 
hundred  dollars  he  had  himself  collected  and  thus  assured 
the  foundation.17 

In  1848  the  Potawatomies,  again  driven  back  by  the 
Americans,  were  forced  to  leave  Sugar  Creek  and  emigrate 
further  west  to  a  reserve  fifty  miles  square  on  the  borders 
of  Kansas.  The  Jesuits  and  the  Ladies  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
followed  them  there  and  founded  the  prosperous  St.  Mary's 
Mission.  Here  again  Father  De  Smet  was  able  to  render 
signal  services  to  his  confreres.  In  leaving  Sugar  Creek, 
the  missionaries  forfeited  the  subsidy  heretofore  paid  by 
the  United  States  for  the  education  of  the  children  of  the 
Indians.  After  a  lengthy  correspondence  with  the  Su- 
perintendent of  Indian  Affairs,  Father  De  Smet  finally 
won  the  cause  of  his  proteges.  Nor  was  this  all :  he  gave 
valuable  information  to  the  missionaries  in  regard  to  their 
dealings  with  the  Government  agents;  put  them  on 
guard  against  the  proceedings  of  the  Protestants,  and  in 
addition  sent  them  large  sums  of  money. 

The  Ladies  of  the  Sacred  Heart  were  not  forgotten.  ' '  I 
have  bought  you  all  you  have  asked  for,  and  your  things 
will  arrive  with  the  merchandise  we  are  sending  the 
Fathers.  Whenever  I  can  be  of  service  to  you,  you  have 
only  to  ask.  The  Provincial  has  received  $750  for  the 
Potawatomi  Mission,  half  of  which  he  will  give  you  to 
dispose  of  as  you  think  best."  18 

The  devotion  of  such  men  as  Fathers  Hoecken,  Duerinck, 
Gaillard,  and  Dumortier,  sustained  and  upheld  by  Father 
De  Smet's  aid  and  encouragement,  soon  bore  fruit  in  St. 
Mary's  Mission.  The  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs 
declared  that  the  Jesuits  had  accomplished  more  with  the 
Indians  than  all  the  Methodists  together.  At  the  Sacred 
Heart  School  young  Indian  girls  passed  from  the  wilderness 
to  the  novitiate.19 

17  Cf.  Baunard,  Histoire  de  Madam  Duchesne,  p.  433,  et  sea. 

18  To  Madam  Lucile  Mathevon,  St.  Louis,  Aug.  18,  1849. 

19  From  President  Pierce's  message  to  Congress  in  1854  we  quote  the  fol- 
lowing: "The  schools  in  charge  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers  are  in  a  flourishing 
condition.    I  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  present  at  the  examination 


222     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Southeast  on  the  Neosho,  the  St.  Francis  Hieronymo 
Mission  was  established.  Father  Schoenmakers,  a  Hol- 
lander, and  Father  Bax,  a  Fleming,  went  in  1847  to  minister 
to  the  Osages,  who  had  been  converted  twenty  years 
before  by  Father  Van  Quickenborne.  The  Osages  were 
among  the  most  degraded  tribes  of  the  desert.  Idle, 
filthy,  drunkards,  corrupted  by  contact  with  the  whites, 
they  became  hostile  to  the  Black  Robes,  against  whom 
they  had  been  warned  by  Protestants.  "The  spectacle  of 
so  much  misery  and  degradation  brought  tears  to  the  eyes 
of  those  sent  to  labor  for  the  salvation  of  this  unfortunate 
tribe."  To  this  was  added  bitter  privations.  "We  suffer 
hunger  and  thirst  and  cold,  and  sleep  in  the  open  during 
the  wettest  season  of  the  year,  with  only  a  buffalo  skin 
and  one  cover  by  way  of  bedding."20 

Father  De  Smet  hastened  to  relieve  their  distress,  and 
obtained  a  subsidy  for  the  schools.  To  encourage  the 
missionaries  in  their  arduous  task  he  recalled  to  them  his 
own  labors,  and  the  sufferings  he  had  endured  in  Oregon. 
"I,  too,  have  tasted  the  bitter  privations  to  which  one  is 
exposed  in  the  Indian  countries.  Let  me  tell  you  some 
of  them,  but  I  hope  you  may  be  spared  similar  sufferings. 
For  several  years  I  was  a  wanderer  in  the  wilderness  and 
during  three  years  I  never  received  a  single  letter.  I  lived 
for  two  years  in  the  mountains  without  ever  tasting  bread, 
salt,  coffee,  tea,  or  sugar.  During  four  years  I  knew 
neither  shelter  nor  bed;  six  months  I  was  without  under- 
linen,  and  often  days  and  nights  I  have  gone  without  food 
or  drink.  Pardon  me  if  I  speak  thus,  and  believe  me,  I 
do  so  neither  to  reproach  you  nor  to  glorify  myself.  I 
only  recall  what  I  have  endured.     Nor  do  I  regret  it.     On 

of  their  pupils,  and  I  can  heartily  approve  of  their  methods  of  teaching. 
I  doubt  if  there  exist  in  the  Indian  Territory  any  other  schools  that  can 
be  compared  to  these.  The  pupils  make  rapid  progress  in  their  studies; 
they  are,  moreover,  well  fed  and  clothed,  and  appear  happy  and  contented." 

In  1856,  Major  Clarke,  directed  by  the  Government  to  inspect  the  Catholic 
schools  among  the  Potawatomies,  made  the  following  report:  "I  cannot 
speak  too  highly  of  these  schools.  Besides  the  ordinary  course  of  instruction, 
the  girls  are  taught  to  sew,  to  knit,  to  embroider,  and  to  do  housework. 
The  boys  have  an  industrial  school,  where  they  learn  useful  arts,  such  as 
agriculture,  horticulture,  etc.  Father  Duerinck  is  a  most  energetic  man 
and  excellent  manager,  and  is  devoted  heart  and  soul  to  the  well-being  of 
the  Potawatomies,  to  whom  he  is  both  father  and  friend." 

20  To  Father  De  Smet,  June  i,  1850. 


PROCURATOR  GENERAL  OF  MISSOURI    223 

the  contrary,  I  thank  God  for  it  and  would  gladly  exchange 
my  present  situation  for  the  hardships  of  mission  work/'21 

The  missionaries  to  the  Osages  were  men  capable  of 
appreciating  these  words,  and  despite  unspeakable  fatigues 
and  difficulties  without  number,  Father  Schoenmakers 
endured  for  forty  years  this  rude  apostolate.  Small- 
pox broke  out  in  the  tribe:  Father  Bax  went  from  village 
to  village,  from  cabin  to  cabin,  carrying  help  and  religious 
consolation  until  he,  at  thirty-three  years  of  age,  fell  a 
victim  to  his  heroic  charity. 

Occasionally  the  Fathers  at  St.  Mary's  and  at  St.  Francis 
Hieronymo  Missions  found  means  of  visiting  the  neighbor- 
ing tribes,  namely  the  Peorias,  the  Miamis,  the  Senecas, 
and  the  Creeks.  Father  Hoecken  has  left  us  an  account  of 
a  journey  he  made  to  the  Sioux,22  in  the  depth  of  winter, 
through  snow  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  deep.  He  was 
mounted  on  a  lame  horse;  his  feet,  nose,  and  ears  were 
frostbitten,  his  legs  were  stiffened  with  rheumatism,  and  he 
was  starving.  At  night  the  storms  raged  and  the  wolves 
howled  around  the  camp.  Yet  his  soul  overflowed  with 
joy:  "My  one  desire  is,  with  the  help  of  God's  grace,  to 
Dear  suffering  and  fatigue  as  long  as  it  is  within  my  power 
to  endure  them.  I  place  my  hopes  in  the  bosom  of  my 
Saviour  and  await  my  reward  from  His  bounty,  not  in  this 
life,  but  in  the  life  to  come."  Such  heroism  and  devotion 
yielded  abundant  fruit.  The  Christians  increased  rapidly 
in  numbers  among  both  the  Indians  and  the  American 
settlers. 

In  185 1  the  Osage  and  Potawatomi  Missions  were  raised 
by  Pius  IX  to  a  vicariate  apostolic,  and  Father  Miege,  a 
Jesuit,  was  appointed  titular  Bishop,  with  jurisdiction  over 
the  territory  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  new 
Bishop  asked  Father  De  Smet  to  accompany  him  and 
introduce  him  to  his  new  and  immense  diocese,  and  in  so 
doing  recognized  the  eminent  services  the  apostle  to  the 
Indians  had  rendered  the  missionaries.23 


21  To  Father  Schoenmakers,  St.  Louis,  June  5,  1849- 

22  Quoted  from  Selected  Letters,  2d  Series,  p.  65,  et  seq. 

"Father  De  Smet  being  unable  to  comply  with  the  Bishop's  request, 
Father  Ponziglione,  lately  appointed  to  the  Osage  Mission,  was  his  com- 
panion. 


224     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Father  De  Smet  discharged  not  only  the  duties  of 
Assistant  to  the  Vice-Provincial,  but  those  of  Procurator 
General  as  well,  in  which  latter  capacity  he  provided  for 
the  material  needs  of  the  different  Jesuit  houses  and  the 
missions  in  particular. 

The  financial  condition  of  the  Jesuits  rendered  this 
task  a  difficult  one.  Mr.  De  Nef's  death  had  sensibly 
reduced  the  financial  assistance  formerly  given  by  the 
Belgian  Province,  and  following  the  troubles  of  1848,  the 
Propagation  of  the  Faith  had  discontinued  its  assistance. 
An  increasing  number  of  applicants  for  admission  to  the 
Florissant  novitiate  necessitated  larger  accommodations, 
and  the  maintenance  of  the  Jesuits  expelled  from  Europe 
was  a  fresh  charge  upon  the  Province.  From  all  sides 
came  demands  for  help.  "We  have  pressing  debts  to 
pay,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "and  only  empty  coffers."24 
In  appealing  to  a  friend,  he  says,  "We  may  perhaps  never 
meet  again  on  earth,  but  I  trust  we  will  meet  in  heaven, 
where  there  will  be  neither  question  of  figures,  nor  demands 
for  money,  nor  account-books."25 

The  new  Procurator  labored  valiantly  to  keep  the 
expenses  within  the  limits  of  his  budget.  With  minute 
exactitude  he  kept  track  of  receipts  and  expenses.  In  his 
accounts  with  the  subsidy  furnished  by  the  Government 
to  the  schools  in  Kansas,  he  entered  seriously  in  his  books : 

The  United  States,  Dr.  to  Father  De  Smet,  $0.35. 

His  correspondence  betrays  his  unflagging  efforts  to  avoid 
debt.  Five  times  in  one  month  he  writes  to  one  of  the 
Fathers  to  urge  him  to  reduce  his  expenses.  His  warning 
producing  no  effect,  he  threatened  to  stop  payment: 
"If  you  exceed  your  allowance  your  note  will  be  pro- 
tested."26 The  ablest  administrator,  however,  is  powerless 
before  a  total  absence  of  capital — but  Father  De  Smet  was 
not  ashamed  to  ask  assistance.  He  wrote  to  Belgium, 
France,  Holland,  and  to  several  dioceses  in  Canada,  and  in 
the  hope  of  interesting  his  benefactors  in  the  missions, 
gave  them  detailed  accounts  of  his  travels.     When  the 

24  Letter  to  Father  Erensberger,  St.  Louis,  March  13,  1849. 

25  Quoted  by  Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  59. 

26  Letter  of  Dec.  27,  1849. 


PROCURATOR  GENERAL  OF  MISSOURI    225 

seventh  Council  of  Baltimore  was  about  to  take  place  he 
presented  a  petition  to  the  Archbishop  asking  for  the 
establishment  of  a  league  similar  to  the  one  in  Lyons,  for 
the  propagation  of  the  faith  among  the  Indian  tribes  of  the 
West.27 

Generous  contributions  flowed  in.  One  Belgian  bene- 
factor alone  sent  twenty  thousand  dollars :  the  money  was 
distributed  as  fast  as  it  arrived,  and  yet  many  needs 
remained  unprovided  for.  ' '  I  was  obliged  to  send  supplies 
to  the  mountain  missions,  and  had  not  a  cent  ad  hoc,  hence 
I  proceeded  to  beg  money.  From  morning  until  night 
I  went  my  rounds.  I  wrote  letters,  journeyed  from  place 
to  place  to  secure  contributions,  and  now  when  all  is  done 
I  still  lack  one  hundred  dollars.  I  trust  to  Providence  for 
the  rest."  28 

And  Providence  responded  generously.  Many  times 
commercial  houses  furnished  several  hundred  dollars' 
worth  of  merchandise  gratis.  Rich  ship-owners,  old  pupils 
of  Father  De  Smet,  and  personal  friends  paid  transporta- 
tion fees.  The  American  Fur  Company  offered  the  mis- 
sionaries free  carriage  for  their  goods  on  their  boats  going 
up  the  Missouri.  Money  often  came  in  in  most  unex- 
pected ways. 

"A  few  months  ago,"  writes  the  Procurator,  "the  Supe- 
rior of  a  mission  informed  me  that  he  was  in  urgent  need  of 
money,  and  without  it  he  would  be  obliged  to  abandon  the 
work.  In  the  same  post  came  another  letter  from  the 
Vicar  General  of  Quebec  in  which  he  said, '  I  have  a  sum  of 
money  to  dispose  of  and  your  name  has  come  to  my  mind. 
Let  me  know  if  you  are  in  need  of  money.'  In  reply  I  gave 
him  some  details  regarding  our  missions,  leaving  it  to  him 
to  decide  if  they  were  deserving  of  assistance.  I  allowed  the 
distressed  missionary  to  draw  on  me  for  six  hundred  dol- 
lars. Some  months  later  I  received  from  him  a  letter  of 
thanks  with  a  bill  of  exchange  payable  on  sight  within  three 
days,  and  two  days  later  I  received  from  the  Vicar  General 
a  bank-note  that  more  than  covered  my  charity."  29 

Encouraged  by  such  experiences,  Father  De  Smet  never 

27  See  Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  1306. 

"Letter  to  Charles  De  Smet,  May  15,  i860. 

29  Letter  to  Charles  Van  Mossevelde,  Sept.  27,  1854. 


226     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

despaired.  ' '  I  have  so  often  been  rescued  by  a  kind  Provi- 
dence that  it  would  be  ungrateful  of  me  not  to  trust  Him 
implicitly.  He  who  feeds  the  birds  of  the  air  and  clothes 
the  lilies  of  the  field  will  not  abandon  His  children  who  have 
left  all  for  the  glory  of  His  name."  30 

Father  De  Smet  never  forgot  a  favor,  nor  did  he  ever 
presume  upon  the  generosity  of  his  benefactors.  The  duties 
of  Vice-Provincial  brought  him  frequently  in  contact 
with  church  dignitaries,  and  among  the  laity  who  interested 
themselves  in  the  missions  are  found  the  best  names  of 
Belgium:  Count  de  Meeus,  Countess  d'Aspremont,  Coun- 
tess de  Merode,  and  the  Duke  de  Brabant,  who  later 
ascended  the  throne  under  the  title  of  Leopold  II.  In  this 
distinguished  society  our  missionary  moved  with  ease  and 
dignity,  and  even  after  twenty  years  spent  among  the 
savage  tribes  of  North  America  he  remained  ever  a  gen- 
tleman of  polished  manners  and  address. 

As  in  former  years,  he  collected  plants,  insects,  minerals, 
and  Indian  curiosities  to  send  to  Europe.  He  named  the 
lakes  and  rivers  he  discovered  after  his  benefactors,  but 
above  all  he  prayed  constantly  for  them:  "I  have  ordered 
the  Flatheads,  the  Cceur  d'Alenes,  and  the  Pend  d'Oreilles 
to  recite  the  rosary  once  a  week  for  one  of  their  greatest 
benefactors — it  is  of  you  I  speak.  As  the  rosary  is  said  at 
nightfall  by  every  Indian  family,  already  several  thousand 
rosaries  have  been  offered  for  you.  These  children  of  the 
wilds  will  continue  thus  to  show  their  gratitude  until 
otherwise  instructed,  which  will  not  be  soon."  31 

When  a  benefactor  died,  Father  De  Smet  said  several 
Masses  for  the  repose  of  his  soul.  Many  times  members 
of  his  family  sent  the  missionary  large  sums  of  money.  In 
return  he  offered  Mass  for  them  twice  a  week.  "It  is," 
he  says,  "a  debt  of  gratitude,  and  one  that  it  gives  me 
pleasure  to  discharge,  for  despite  the  distance  that  separates 
us,  I  still  feel  in  touch  with  you.  Every  Thursday  and 
Sunday  you  make  your  intentions,  and  I  take  them  to  the 
altar;  thus  we  remain  strongly  united  until  death,  by  the 
sublime  and  consoling  tie  of  religion."32 

30  Letter  quoted. 

31  Letter  to  Madam  Parmentier  of  Brooklyn,  July  25,  1846. 

32  Letter  to  Charles  Van  Mossevelde,  Bardstown,  Aug.  20,  1855. 


PROCURATOR  GENERAL  OF  MISSOURI     227 

Father  De  Smet's  assumption  of  the  office  of  Procurator 
in  1849  coincided  with  a  series  of  disasters  in  the  United 
States,  which  gave  to  that  year  the  name  of  "the  year  of 
accidents."  St.  Louis  was  not  spared,  for  on  the  eve  of 
the  feast  of  the  Ascension  a  disastrous  fire  destroyed  twen- 
ty-seven boats  anchored  at  the  levee,  and,  spreading  to  the 
town,  laid  waste  five  hundred  houses.  The  Orphanage,  the 
cathedral,  and  the  Archbishop's  residence  were  threatened. 

Being  one  of  the  first  on  the  scene,  Father  De  Smet 
rescued  the  archives  and  papers  of  the  Missouri  See,  had 
the  library  carried  to  a  place  of  safety,  and  then  offered  the 
orphans  a  shelter  in  the  college.  When  the  danger  was 
over  he  returned  thanks  to  the  Sacred  Heart.  "Shall 
we  ever  be  able  to  make  a  worthy  return  for  such  signal 
protection?"  he  asks.33 

About  the  same  time  a  scourge  more  terrible  than  fire 
devastated  the  city — cholera — and  it  claimed  as  many  as 
two  hundred  victims  a  day  during  a  period  of  several 
months.  "There  is  general  mourning,"  wrote  Father  De 
Smet.  "All  who  have  the  means  leave  the  city;  business 
is  dead.  Often,  friends  whom  I  have  seen  in  the  morning 
are  lying  in  their  coffins  in  the  evening."34  Night  and  day 
the  Fathers  at  the  University  were  found  at  the  bedsides  of 
the  dying.  Father  De  Smet  did  not  take  time  to  undress, 
he  was  so  constantly  on  duty.  We  have  before  us  a  letter 
written  by  him  in  which  he  states  he  was  twice  interrupted 
in  its  writing  by  visits  to  the  sick  and  dying. 

One  of  his  nieces  invited  him  to  return  to  Belgium,  but 
he  replied:  "America  lacks  priests  to  minister  to  the 
suffering  and  dying,  and  yet  you  have  the  temerity  to  pro- 
pose that  I  should  seek  safety  and  die  elsewhere  but  in  the 
breach !  When  old  veterans  desert  the  battle-field  for  the  re- 
pose of  family  life,  what  will  the  young  recruits  say  and  do  ?" 

But  even  the  cholera  had  its  consoling  aspect.  "It 
strikes  an  impartial  blow,  respecting  neither  name,  station, 
nor  religion :  it  helps  the  good  to  become  better,  the  wicked 
to  repent,  and  rouses  the  lukewarm  from  their  torpor.  Why 
should  we  dread  the  cause  of  so  much  good?"  35 

33  To  a  nun,  May  22,  1849. 

34  To  Madam  Meersman,  July  4,  1849. 
36  To  Sylvia  De  Smet,  July  8,  1849. 


228     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

The  self-sacrificing  devotion  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers  called 
down  the  blessing  of  heaven.  At  that  time  the  University, 
besides  its  entire  staff,  numbered  two  hundred  boarders. 
The  Fathers  implored  the  help  of  the  Blessed  Virgin:  "We 
placed  ourselves  and  all  our  pupils  under  her  powerful 
protection,  promising  to  adorn  her  statue  with  a  silver 
crown  should  all  escape  the  scourge.  Mary  loves  her  chil- 
dren too  well  to  allow  them  to  perish."36  Nor  was  Father 
De  Smet's  confidence  misplaced.  Although  the  college  was 
situated  in  a  part  of  the  city  where  the  infection  raged, 
it  was  not  attacked,  nor  were  the  classes  interrupted  for  a 
single  day.  The  Fathers  continued  their  ministrations  to 
the  sick  without  catching  the  contagion. 

When  the  scourge  had  ceased,  all  hastened  to  keep  the 
promises  made  to  our  most  blessed  Lady.  One  evening 
during  the  month  of  October,  professors  and  students 
met  in  the  chapel.  The  statue  was  solemnly  crowned, 
and  then  carried  in  procession  amid  the  grateful  prayers 
and  tears  of  all  who  were  present.  His  heart  filled  with 
intensest  joy,  Father  De  Smet  took  part  in  the  triumph  of 
his  Mother  in  heaven.  Once  more  she  had  proven  her 
claim  to  his  confidence  and  gratitude. 

36  To  Charles  Van  Kerckhove,  July  9,  1849. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE   FORT   LARAMIE    COUNCIL    (1851) 

Discovery  of  Gold  in  California — The  White  Invasion — The  American 
Government  Invites  the  Tribes  to  a  Conference  in  which  Fathers  De 
Smet  and  C.Hoecken  are  to  Take  Part — Cholera  on  Board  the  St.Ange 
— Father  De  Smet's  Serious  Illness — Father  Hoecken's  Death — His 
Health  Hardly  Reestablished,  Father  De  Smet  Visits  the  Indians 
during  an  Epidemic  of  Smallpox — A  Journey  across  the  Wilderness — 
The  Highway  to  the  Pacific — The  Great  Council — Points  Submitted 
for  Deliberation — Father  De  Smet's  Successful  Efforts — An  Era  of 
Peace  for  the  Redskins — Return  to  St.  Louis — Visit  to  St.  Mary's 
Mission. 

CATHER  DE  SMET  had  filled  the  office  of  Procurator 
*  and  Assistant  to  the  Vice-Provincial  for  six  months, 
when  he  was  offered  an  opportunity  of  visiting  the  Indians. 
Gold  had  just  been  discovered  in  California,  and  thousands 
of  immigrants  crossed  the  desert,  lured  by  the  promise  of 
the  new  Eldorado.  In  a  few  months  these  traveling  hordes 
had  cut  a  large  route  from  Missouri  to  the  Pacific.  San 
Francisco,  which  in  1848  had  but  five  hundred  inhabitants, 
in  two  years  increased  to  a  population  of  25,000.  The 
Indians,  notably  the  Cheyennes,  viewed  with  irritation  the 
"'Pale  Face"  invasion  of  this  territory,  which  had  been 
guaranteed  to  them  by  the  United  States  Government, 
and  sanguinary  conflicts  were  feared. 

Colonel  Mitchell,  the  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs 
stationed  in  St.  Louis,  conceived  the  idea  of  a  Council, 
in  which  all  the  Eastern  tribes  would  be  represented,  and 
in  which,  furthermore,  they  would  be  offered  an  indemnity 
for  land  taken  by  the  whites  for  a  highway  and  the  forts 
that  would  be  constructed  along  the  route.  It  was  decided 
that  the  Council  should  take  place  at  Fort  Laramie  in  the 
summer  of  185 1. 

The  Superintendent,  charged  with  negotiating  the  affair, 
sought  advice  and  assistance  from  Father  De  Smet,  who 


23o     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

had  not  only  crossed  the  plains  many  times,  but  under- 
stood the  nature  of  the  different  tribes.  He  knew  his  in- 
fluence over  the  Indians  to  be  more  powerful  than  the 
promises  and  threats  of  any  Government.  "Should  your 
present  duties  permit,"  writes  the  Superintendent,  "I 
would  like  very  much  for  you  to  take  part  in  the  Fort 
Laramie  Council.  Your  maps  and  drawings  of  the  prairies 
and  mountains,  as  well  as  any  information  you  can  furnish 
with  regard  to  their  habits,  the  history  of  the  country,  in 
fact,  all  that  concerns  the  Indians,  will  be  of  valuable 
assistance  to  us,  and  will  be  greatly  appreciated  by  the 
Government."  1 

Here  was  an  occasion  for  revisiting  the  Sioux  and  other 
tribes  on  the  Upper  Missouri.  Father  De  Smet  at  once 
accepted,  and  Father  Christian  Hoecken,  the  apostle  of  the 
Potawatomies,  obtained  permission  to  accompany  him. 
The  latter,  in  joining  this  expedition,  was  to  crown  a  life 
of  self-sacrificing  devotion  with  a  heroic  death.2 

On  June  7th,  the  Fathers  embarked  on  the  St.  Ange,  a 
steamboat  going  up  the  river  to  Fort  Union,  about  2,000 
miles  northwest  of  St.  Louis.  Their  intention  was  to 
visit  the  Indians  camped  along  the  river,  and  then  cross 
the  Yellowstone  valley  to  Fort  Laramie  upon  the  upper 
course  of  the  Nebraska.  The  St.  Ange  was  commanded 
by  Captain  La  Barge,  an  intimate  friend  of  Father  De 
Smet.  Several  members  of  the  fur  companies,  bound  for 
different  trading-posts  in  the  Indian  Territory,  were  also 
on  board.  "These  men,"  says  our  missionary,  "were 
in  search  of  the  goods  of  the  world;  Father  Hoecken 
and  I  were  seeking  the  treasures  of  heaven  in  the  con- 
version of  souls."  3 

The  spring  that  year  was  late  and  wet.  Melting  snows 
and  continued  rain  had  swollen  the  rivers  until  the  muddy 
waters  of  the  Missouri  inundated  the  land  for  miles.  The 
boat  pushed  its  way  through  floating  debris ;  houses,  barns, 
stables,  and  fences  were  carried  along  pell-mell,  with 
thousands  of  uprooted  trees.     It  required  skilful  steering 

1  St.  Louis,  April  19,  1851.  An  account  of  these  maps  is  found  in  Chitten- 
den-Richardson, p.  137. 

2  Father  Christian  Hoecken  of  Tilbourg  in  Holland  was,  as  we  know,  the 
brother  of  Father  Adrian  Hoecken  of  the  Oregon  Mission. 

3  St.  Louis,  Jan.  16,  1852. 


THE  FORT  LARAMIE  COUNCIL  231 

to  avoid  striking  these  floating  masses,  and  at  the  same 
time  breast  the  mighty  current.  Several  times  the  boat 
became  unmanageable.  But  all  this  was  as  nothing  in 
comparison  to  the  trials  that  yet  awaited  the  missionaries. 

Three  days  after  leaving  St.  Louis  cholera  broke  out  on 
board  the  St.  Ange,  and  the  merry  songs  of  the  passengers 
were  turned  into  mournful  silence.  Thirteen  persons,  one 
after  the  other,  fell  victims  to  the  scourge.  Father  De 
Smet  was  confined  to  bed  by  an  attack  of  bilious  fever. 
Father  Hoecken,  eager  to  aid  others,  watched  day  and 
night  by  the  bedsides  of  the  dying,  administering  the  con- 
solations of  religion  and  offering  his  untiring  personal 
service.  "I  suffered,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "at  seeing 
him  labor  alone  at  his  heroic  task,  but  I  was  too  weak  to 
assist  him  in  any  way.  On  the  18th  what  we  thought  were 
symptoms  of  cholera  appeared,  and  I  begged  Father 
Hoecken  to  hear  my  confession  and  give  me  Extreme 
Unction.  Just  at  that  moment  he  was  called  to  a  death- 
bed. 'There  is  no  immediate  danger  for  you,'  he  said; 
'we  can  wait  until  to-morrow.'  That  day  he  assisted  at 
three  deaths.  I  shall  never  forget  the  scene  that  took 
place  a  few  hours  later. 

"Father  Hoecken's  cabin  adjoined  mine,  and  in  the  early 
silence,  between  one  and  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I 
heard  him  call  me.  I  dragged  myself  to  his  bedside,  to 
find  him  in  his  death-agony.  He  asked  me  to  hear  his 
confession,  which  I  did,  and  while  I  administered  Extreme 
Unction,  he  replied  to  all  the  prayers.  His  recollection 
and  piety  but  added  to  the  veneration  in  which  he  was 
held  by  the  passengers.  Finding  myself  in  a  condition  in 
which  I  might  die  at  any  moment,  I  asked  him  to  hear  my 
confession.  He  was  still  conscious  of  what  I  was  saying. 
With  tears  streaming  down  my  face,  I  knelt  by  the  bedside 
of  my  faithful  friend  and  sole  companion,  and  to  him,  in 
his  death-agony,  I  confessed,  being  myself  in  an  almost 
dying  condition.  He  soon  became  speechless.  Resigned 
to  God's  will,  I  read  the  prayers  for  the  dying.  Ripe  for 
heaven,  Father  Hoecken  rendered  his  soul  to  God  June  19, 
1 85 1,  twelve  days  after  his  departure  from  St.  Louis."4 

The  deceased  was  only  forty- three  years  of  age,  and  in 

4  Letter  quoted. 


232     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

him  was  centered  the  richest  qualities  of  an  apostle :  ardent 
zeal,  robust  health,  invincible  courage,  extreme  prudence, 
simplicity  of  manner,  and  a  calm  and  cheerful  nature. 
During  the  fifteen  years  of  his  life  spent  among  the  Indians 
he  had  built  several  churches,  and  established  fervent 
Christian  congregations.  A  martyr  to  charity,  he,  even 
in  the  throes  of  death,  exercised  his  ministry  of  salvation. 

Father  De  Smet  was  bent  upon  assisting  personally  at 
the  burial  of  his  friend.  Enclosed  in  a  heavy  coffin,  the 
body  was  lowered  into  a  trench  on  the  edge  of  the  forest, 
to  the  accompaniment  of  the  prayers  of  the  Church.  A 
month  later  Captain  La  Barge,  on  his  return  trip  to  St. 
Louis,  exhumed  the  venerated  remains  and  transported 
them  to  the  cemetery  at  the  Florissant  novitiate.  "In 
other  circumstances,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "his  death 
would  have  deterred  me  from  continuing  my  perilous 
journey.  But  God  gave  the  strength  which  nature 
refused." 

Gradually  the  fever  disappeared,  Father  De  Smet's 
strength  returned,  and  he,  in  turn,  ministered  to  the  sick 
and  dying.  Five  passengers  succumbed  later,  each  re- 
ceiving the  Last  Sacraments.  Many  who  had  not  been 
to  their  duties  for  years  came  to  Father  De  Smet's  cabin, 
where  they  confessed  their  sins  and  were  reconciled  with 
God.  Father  Hoecken's  death  made  a  deep  impression 
on  all,  and  bore  immediate  fruit.  Finally  the  steamboat 
reached  the  high  lands  of  the  Indian  Territory.  The 
fresh,  bracing  air  dispelled  the  epidemic.  But  they  soon 
learned  that  another  scourge,  smallpox,  was  devastating 
the  homes  of  the  Indians,  who  died  by  hundreds.  Bodies 
remained  unburied,  exposed  to  the  summer  heat,  and  for 
miles  the  air  was  infected  with  the  odor  of  decaying 
flesh. 

Although  hardly  convalescent  himself,  Father  De  Smet 
went  ashore,  and  visited  the  entire  stricken  region,  where 
he  baptized  children,  nursed  the  sick,  and  ministered  to 
the  dying.  Astonished  by  his  courage  and  touched  by 
his  goodness,  the  Yanktons,  Mandans,  Aricaras,  and 
Grosventres  listened  to  the  words  of  the  Great  Spirit, 
and  invited  the  missionary  to  remain  among  them.  Al- 
though Father  De  Smet  was  obliged  to  rejoin  the  St.  Ange 


THE  FORT  LARAMIE  COUNCIL  233 

and  continue  his  journey,  he  did  not  forget  these  far-off 
tribes,  and  later  we  will  see  how  he  labored  to  establish  a 
mission  for  them. 

While  going  up  the  river  the  burden  of  his  thoughts  was 
the  future  of  these  great  solitudes.  "Nature  has  been 
lavish  in  her  gifts  to  this  country,  and  one  need  not  be  a 
prophet  to  predict  a  prosperous  future  for  this  land. 
Before  long  one  could  apply  to  this  region  the  words  of  the 
Psalmist:  'The  earth  was  created  for  the  abode  of  man 
and  to  manifest  the  glory  and  perfection  of  the  Lord.' 
These  fertile,  smiling  fields  invite  the  husbandman  to  till 
the  soil.  Ancient  oaks  await  the  woodsman,  the  rocks  the 
stone-cutter.  One  day  the  sound  of  the  axe  and  hammer 
will  ring  through  the  wilderness.  Extensive  farms,  sur- 
rounded by  orchards  and  vineyards,  herds  and  flocks  of 
domestic  animals,  will  cover  the  uninhabited  places,  and 
will  provision  the  towns  that  shall  rise  up  as  by  enchant- 
ment." But  what  will  then  become  of  the  Indian  who 
from  time  immemorial  has  possessed  the  land?  A  grave 
and  disquieting  question  to  one  who  had  followed  the 
encroaching  policy  of  the  States  in  regard  to  the  red  man's 
territory. 

' '  I  still  keep  a  ray  of  hope  for  the  future  of  these  unfor- 
tunate tribes.  The  Indians  willingly  send  their  children 
to  school;  they  make  progress  in  agriculture  and  mechan- 
ical arts.  It  is  not  too  much  to  hope  that  they  may  one 
day  be  incorporated  into  the  Union  with  the  rights  of 
citizens.  This  is  their  sole  chance  of  salvation.  Humanity 
and  justice  demand  it." 

On  July  14th  Father  De  Smet  arrived  at  Fort  Union,  a 
post  situated  above  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  and 
from  there  set  out  upon  his  journey  overland.  He  parted 
with  sincere  regret  from  the  traveling  companions  who  had 
shared  his  trials  during  the  months  they  had  spent  together 
on  the  St.  Ange.  During  the  fifteen  days  he  remained  at 
Fort  Union  he  instructed  the  inhabitants,  and  made  the 
necessary  preparations  for  the  eight-hundred-mile  journey 
he  was  about  to  undertake.  He  then  set  forth  with 
several  Government  agents  and  a  number  of  Indian  chiefs 
who  were  also  en  route  for  Fort  Laramie.     After  ten  days' 

16 


234     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

travel  the  party  arrived  at  Fort  Alexander  on  the  Yellow- 
stone. 

"The  silence  of  death  reigns  in  this  vast  wild,"  wrote 
the  missionary.  "Weeks  pass  without  seeing  a  living 
creature,  but  one  becomes  accustomed  to  the  solitude  and 
ends  by  liking  it.  The  mind  becomes  clearer,  the  faculties 
are  more  alive,  and  ideas  spring  forth  spontaneously. 
The  soul  is  drawn  to  prayer  and  meditation  and  confidence 
in  God,  and  one's  thoughts  dwell  upon  Him  who  is  our  sole 
refuge  and  who  can  supply  all  our  needs." 

After  crossing  the  Yellowstone  the  caravan  entered  the 
heart  of  the  Great  Desert,  where  the  rocky  soil  furnished 
but  meager  sustenance  for  the  horses,  and  lack  of  water 
caused  intense  suffering  to  both  man  and  beast.  A  pest 
of  mosquitoes  forced  the  travelers  to  cover  their  faces  and 
hands,  while  their  heavy  carts  toiled  up  steep  rocks  and 
down  deep  ravines. 

At  last,  on  September  2d,  the  caravan  reached  the  great 
highway  to  the  Pacific.  "This  immense  avenue,"  writes 
Father  De  Smet,  "resembles  a  wind-swept  surface,  worn 
bare  by  the  perpetual  march  of  Europeans  and  Americans 
marching  to  California.  The  Indians,  familiar  with  only 
the  paths  of  the  chase,  thought,  upon  beholding  this  beaten 
track,  that  the  entire  nation  of  the  white  man  had  trav- 
ersed it  and  that  the  country  of  the  rising  sun  must  be 
deserted."5  Eight  days  later  they  arrived  at  their  destina- 
tion, where  Father  De  Smet  was  received  by  the  Superin- 
tendent of  Indian  Affairs  and  invited  to  be  his  guest  during 
the  Great  Council. 

The  Great  Council  was  held  at  some  distance  from  Fort 
Laramie,  in  a  vast  plain  watered  by  the  Nebraska.  Ten 
thousand  Indians,  belonging,  for  the  most  part,  to  the 
various  Sioux  tribes,  assembled  there  to  hear  the  proposi- 
tion offered  by  the  United  States  Government.  The  most 
complete  unity  now  reigned  among  these  peoples,  only 
yesterday  divided  by  hate  and  dissension.  Remembering 
their  common  origin,  the  children  of  the  wilderness  stood 
in  serried  ranks  to  defend  their  common  interests. 

B  Letter  from  Father  De  Smet  to  the  editor  of  the  Brussels  Journal, 
June  30,  1853. 


THE  FORT  LARAMIE  COUNCIL  235 

On  September  12  th  the  Council  opened,  and  the  following 
points  were  submitted  for  deliberation: 

I.  The  Indians  must  recognize  the  right  of  the  United 
States  to  construct  roads  and  military  posts  in  their 
territory. 

II.  The  Indians,  in  the  interests  of  peace,  must  under- 
take to  repair  the  loss  and  damage  suffered  by  the  whites 
at  their  hands. 

III.  An  indemnity  of  $50,000  in  gold  would  be  paid  im- 
mediately to  the  Indians  for  all  damage  caused  to  their 
hunting-grounds,  roads,  and  prairies  by  travelers  crossing 
their  country. 

IV.  The  Indians  would  receive,  moreover,  annually 
during  a  period  of  fifty  years,  $50,000  in  gold  to  be  used 
according  to  their  best  judgment. 

The  treaty  was  read  and  explained  point  by  point  to  the 
interpreters,  who  went  from  group  to  group  of  the  different 
tribes,  informing  them  of  the  nature  of  the  Government's 
propositions.  Confident  in  the  good  faith  of  the  United 
States,  Father  De  Smet  sincerely  desired  the  success  of  the 
Council. 

Received  by  the  chiefs  and  invited  to  their  feasts,  the 
missionary  constantly  used  his  influence  to  assure  peace. 
His  loyal,  disinterested  attitude  greatly  impressed  the 
Indians,  who  harkened  to  his  wise  advice.  He  knew, 
moreover,  that  religion  is  the  surest  guarantee  of  union  be- 
tween people.  "Promises,  threats,  firearms,  and  swords,"  , 
said  he,  "are  less  effective  than  the  Black  Robe's  words 
of  peace  and  the  civilizing  banner  of  the  cross."  6 

Finding  this  the  one  occasion  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  all 
the  tribes,  Father  De  Smet  gave  daily  several  instructions 
upon  the  Commandments,  and  the  recompense  or  punish- 
ment in  the  life  to  come.  He  explained,  moreover,  the 
necessity  of  baptism,  and  administered  the  Sacrament  to 
about  twelve  hundred  children.  One,  perhaps,  doubts  the 
efficacy  of  these  detached  instructions,  given  to  a  passing 
audience,  who  to-morrow  would  return  to  their  supersti- 
tious practices.  But  this  is  an  error.  In  the  field  of 
paganism  the  missionary  could  be  compared  to  a  fruitful 
tree,  which  in  autumn  gives  forth  its  seeds,  abandoning 

6  Letter  quoted. 


236     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

them  to  the  winds  of  heaven.  What  matters  it  that 
thousands  fall  on  sterile  ground  and  come  to  naught,  if 
only  one  seed  grows  and  bears  fruit?  Father  De  Smet  in 
his  travels  often  met  Indians  so  permeated  with  the  spirit 
of  Christianity  that  they  were  quite  ready  for  the  regenerat- 
ing waters  of  baptism.  Upon  questioning  them  he  found 
to  his  surprise  that  they  had  once  listened  to  his  in- 
structions, and  his  words,  falling  upon  their  sincere,  well- 
disposed  souls,  had  borne  the  fruit  he  now  witnessed. 
On  this  occasion  also  he  could  rely  upon  the  lasting 
effects  of  his  apostolate,  for  the  Indians  had  listened  to 
him  with  pious  attention  and  expressed  a  desire  to  be- 
come Christians. 

"Father,"  said  they,  "we  are  faulty  and  sinful  because 
we  are  ignorant  of  the  word  of  the  Great  Spirit.  If  you 
will  remain  here  to  instruct  us,  we  will  try  henceforth  to 
lead  better  lives."  Powerless  to  accede  to  their  request, 
Father  De  Smet  was  heard  repeatedly  to  exclaim,  "If 
European  priests  knew  the  good  a  missionary  could  ac- 
complish here,  they  would  hasten  to  America  to  bring  joy 
to  our  Mother  the  Church  in  giving  her  thousands  of  new 
children." 

And  now  the  Great  Council  was  about  to  conclude. 
The  different  articles  so  long  under  discussion  were  finally, 
one  after  the  other,  adopted  by  the  tribes.  The  treaty 
was  signed  by  the  representatives  of  the  United  States  and 
the  principal  Indian  chiefs.  The  next  day  the  United 
States  flag  flying  from  the  Superintendent's  tent,  and  the 
firing  of  a  cannon,  announced  the  arrival  of  the  presents 
sent  by  the  Government — a  division  of  which  would  now 
take  place.  The  Indians  assembled  without  delay, 
ranging  themselves  in  a  circle  around  the  exposed  gifts. 
The  great  chiefs  were  first  presented  with  an  outfit  of 
clothing,  which  they  immediately  donned.  Proud  of  their 
new  habiliments  and  courting  admiration,  they  naively 
showed  themselves  to  the  missionary,  decked  out  in 
generals'  uniforms  and  magnificent  gold-plated  swords, 
which  contrasted  singularly  with  their  long  hair  and 
vermilion-painted  faces.  Thus  accoutered,  the  chiefs  di- 
vided among  the  members  of  their  tribes  the  bounty  of  the 
Government.     Perfect   order   reigned,    and   strict   justice 


THE  FORT  LARAMIE  COUNCIL  237 

presided  at  the  distribution  of  the  gifts.  When  the 
Indians  retired,  charmed  with  the  Superintendent's  ami- 
ability and  kindness,  they  were  satisfied,  and  confident 
in  his  promises  of  peace.  Father  De  Smet  likewise  shared 
in  the  general  feeling  of  confidence  and  good  will.  "This 
Council,"  he  says,  "will  be  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  for 
the  redskins;  an  era  of  peace  when  travelers  will  be  able 
to  cross  the  desert  unmolested,  and  the  Indians  in  turn 
will  have  nothing  to  fear  from  the  white  man." 

The  Great  Council  lasted  twelve  days.  On  September 
24th  the  Indians  began  the  preparations  for  their  departure. 
Father  De  Smet  requested  them  to  pray  daily  to  the 
Master  of  life,  and  promised  to  use  his  influence  to  obtain 
a  missionary  for  them.  He  then  shook  hands  for  the  last 
time  with  the  chiefs,  and  set  out  for  St.  Louis  with  the 
American  delegates  and  a  deputation  of  Indians  en  route 
for  Washington. 

After  journeying  for  some  time  along  the  Nebraska, 
the  caravan  turned  south  in  order  to  visit  the  Potawatomi 
Mission.  This  was  an  opportune  occasion  of  impressing 
the  Indians  with  the  advantages  of  industrious  and  per- 
severing work.  The  St.  Mary's  missionaries  gave  a  ban- 
quet in  honor  of  the  travelers,  consisting  of  quantities  of 
vegetables  and  fruits.  Sweet  potatoes,  carrots,  turnips, 
pumpkins,  melons,  apples,  and  peaches  were  served  to  the 
Indian  deputation,  to  which  all  did  justice.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  the  repast,  Eagle  Head  arose  and  addressed 
Father  De  Smet  in  the  following  words:  "To-day  we 
understand  your  words.  You  told  us  in  the  camp  that  the 
buffalo  would  disappear  from  our  territory  in  a  few  years, 
but  that  we  could  draw  from  the  earth  sustenance  for  our- 
selves and  our  children.  When  you  spoke  thus  our  ears 
were  closed;  to-day  they  are  open,  now  that  we  have  eaten 
the  fruits  of  the  earth.  We  see  before  us  a  people  happy, 
well  fed,  and  well  clothed.  We  will  welcome  the  Black 
Robes  and  will  listen  to  their  words." 

The  next  day  being  Sunday,  all  assisted  at  High  Mass. 
The  prayers,  hymns,  and  piety  of  the  faithful  made  a  pro- 
found impression  upon  the  visiting  Indians,  who  incessantly 
interrogated  the  missionary  upon  the  doctrines  that  gave 


238     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

happiness  here  below  and  would  conduct  them  to  heaven 
in  the  world  to  come. 

Upon  leaving  St.  Mary's  the  travelers  directed  their 
steps  to  Westport,  where  they  embarked  on  a  steamboat 
descending  the  Missouri.  One  can  easily  imagine  the  won- 
der and  amazement  of  the  redskins  in  passing  suddenly 
from  the  wilderness  into  a  rich  and  civilized  country. 
Every  town  and  scattered  village  resounded  with  their 
cries  of  joy  and  admiration.  At  last,  on  October  2 2d, 
the  party  arrived  at  St.  Louis,  where  the  Indian  deputation 
was  cordially  received  at  the  St.  Louis  University,  the 
Provincial  even  promising  to  send  them  a  Black  Robe. 

In  reviewing  the  events  of  the  past  five  months, 
Father  De  Smet  was  filled  with  gratitude  to  God.  He 
writes:  "During  my  journey  across  the  plains  and  moun- 
tains God  watched  over  me.  I  escaped  from  a  dangerous 
malady;  from  the  attacks  of  the  enemy  and  wild  beasts; 
from  smallpox  and  cholera.  I  came  safely  through  a 
camp  where  men  were  dying  and  rotting  before  me,  and 
remained  over  a  month  among  the  dying  and  dead,  handling 
and  nursing  the  cholera-stricken  victims  without  con- 
tracting the  disease.  To  me  was  given  the  happiness  of 
pouring  the  waters  of  baptism  upon  the  foreheads  of 
1,586  children  and  adults,  many  of  whom  have  since  suc- 
cumbed to  the  scourge,  and  whose  eternal  happiness  is 
now  assured."7 

The  missionary's  modesty  did  not  permit  him  to  recall 
the  part  he  had  taken  in  the  success  of  the  Conference, 
but  the  United  States  recognized  it,  and  before  long  it 
was  admitted  in  Washington  that  his  mediation  had  been 
more  effective  than  that  of  an  army.8  As  will  be  seen, 
in  new  conflicts  later  to  occur  between  the  white  man  and 
the  Indian,  he  was  destined  to  again  fill  the  r61e  of  pacifi- 
cator. 

'Letter  to  Father  Helias  d'Huddeghem,  St.  Louis,  Nov.  13,  1851. 
8  Chittenden -Richardson,  p.  1566. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE   YEARS    OF   TRIAL    (1848-1855) 


Father  De  Smet  Ardently  Desires  to  Again  Take  Up  His  Mission  Work — The 
Indians  Petition  Him  to  Come  to  Them — The  Father  General  Dis- 
approves of  His  Project — What  Could  Have  Happened? — Complaints 
Made  Against  Father  De  Smet  by  Some  of  His  Assistants — His  Reply — 
New  Complaints — Again  Father  De  Smet  is  Justified — The  Flathead 
Mission  Must  Be  Abandoned — The  Father  General  Renders  Justice  to 
Father  De  Smet's  Zeal  and  Sincerity,  but  Does  Not  Deem  It  Prudent 
to  Open  New  Missions — The  Missionary's  Work  Must  Stand  the 
Test  of  Time — How  it  is  Judged  Fifty  Years  Later — Death  of  Father 
Elet,  Madam  Duchesne,  and  Father  Roothaan — "  Why,  My  Soul, 
Would  You  Escape  the  Cross?" — Father  De  Smet's  Superiors  Think 
of  Sending  Him  to  Reside  Permanently  in  One  of  the  European  Prov- 
inces— His  Letter  to  the  Holland  Provincial — He  is  Left  in  St.  Louis — 
He  Pronounces  His  Solemn  Vows — His  Courageous  Obedience  Wins 
for  Him  New  and  Greater  Successes. 

DURING  Father  De  Smet's  trip  to  Fort  Laramie 
Father  Verhaegen  took  his  place  as  Assistant  Proc- 
urator of  the  Province.  Doubtless  the  former  hoped 
that  he  would  not  be  obliged  to  again  take  up  his  func- 
tions, as  it  will  be  remembered  he  had  assumed  the  post 
only  temporarily  and  on  several  occasions  had  expressed 
a  desire  to  return  to  the  missions. 

On  February  2,  1850,  he  writes  to  the  Father  General 
of  the  Jesuits:  "Your  Paternity,  in  your  letter  of  August 
29th,  deigns  to  enquire  after  my  health.  Thank  God  I 
am  very  well,  and,  save  for  slight  attacks  of  rheumatism,1 
I  feel  quite  capable  of  again  facing  and  enduring  the  pri- 
vations inseparable  from  long  journeys.  At  a  word  from 
your  Paternity,  I  will  immediately  start  for  the  Western 
plains,  where  thousands  of  souls  languish  under  the  rule 
of  Satan.     The  hope  of  baptizing  those  little  children  and 

1  The  malady  in  question,  rheumatism,  had  been  contracted  by  the 
missionary  during  his  journey  to  the  Sioux. 


240     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

preparing  the  aged,  whose  dispositions  are  admirable,  for 
death,  gives  me  courage  to  return  to  a  post  I  left  with 
much  regret." 

The  Indians  awaited  impatiently  the  return  of  the  Black 
Robe.  Since  1847  the  Blackfeet  had  been  without  a  mis- 
sionary. Father  Point  had  been  called  to  Canada  by  his 
Superiors,  and  was  obliged  to  abandon  his  neophytes — 
eleven  hundred  in  all — who  thus  were  in  danger  of  falling 
back  into  barbarism.2  The  Crows  reminded  Father  De 
Smet  of  his  promises,  and  entreated  him  to  do  something 
for  them.  "Remember,"  said  the  Sioux,  "that  the  waters 
of  baptism  have  been  poured  on  the  foreheads  of  our 
children."  The  chief  of  the  Assiniboins  sent  a  long  letter 
begging  for  the  Black  Robes,  promising  to  contribute  a 
portion  of  the  Government  money  to  their  support.  "I 
am  getting  old,"  he  says  in  conclusion.  "Could  I  see  my 
wish  realized  I  would  then  die  willingly." 

Father  De  Smet  deemed  it  imperative  to  respond  to 
these  appeals,  inasmuch  as  he  wished  to  forestall  the 
arrival  of  the  Protestant  ministers,  and  prevent  error  from 
being  sown  in  this  well-prepared  soil.  He  had  hoped  to 
be  able  to  accomplish  this  in  the  spring  of  185 1.  Bishop 
Miege  asked  Father  De  Smet  to  introduce  him  to  the 
Indian  tribes  recently  placed  under  his  jurisdiction.  "I 
hope,"  he  writes,  "to  soon  see  new  missions  established 
east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  which  will  labor  for  the  con- 
version and  civilization  of  these  Indian  tribes."  3 

Father  De  Smet's  letters,  written  at  that  time,  betray 
the  joy  he  experienced  in  seeing  his  long-cherished  dream 
about  to  be  realized.  He  spoke  of  his  projects  and  recom- 
mended them  to  the  prayers  of  his  friends.  ' '  My  journey 
will  be  long  and  beset  with  dangers.  Beg  heaven  to  give 
me  strength  and  courage  to  fulfil  my  task."4  The  prepara- 
tions were  completed,  and  everything  was  in  readiness  for 
the  journey,  when  a  letter  arrived  from  Rome,  disapprov- 
ing of  his  return  to  the  missions.  It  is  true  he  had  as- 
sisted at  the  Indian  Council,  but  his  local  Superiors,  not 

2  Father  Point  died  at  the  Jesuit  house  in  Quebec,  July  4,  1868. 

3  To  his  brother  Charles,  St.  Louis,  April  27,  1851. 

4  To  his  niece  Rosalie,  who  had  just  made  her  first  communion,  April 
28,  1851. 


THE  YEARS  OF  TRIAL  241 

wishing  to  fail  in  a  promise  they  had  made  to  the  Govern- 
ment, had  taken  upon  themselves  the  responsibility  of 
allowing  him  to  go. 

What  had  happened? 

We  now  come  to  the  period  of  trial  in  the  life  of  our  mis- 
sionary. Aspersed  by  men  who  had  been  misinformed, 
he  felt  that  his  judgment  and  prudence,  nay  even  his 
character,  was  doubted  by  his  Superiors.  His  trials  were 
many  and  varied.  He  lived  through  hours  of  bitter  dis- 
couragement. Years  passed  before  he  regained  peace 
and  felt  confidence  in  those  he  loved  and  venerated.  But 
this  period  of  trial  and  discouragement  can  be  easily  ex- 
plained. Father  De  Smet's  extremely  sensitive  nature  suf- 
fered acutely  from  the  exaggerations  and  false  reports 
that  had  gained  the  ears  of  his  Superiors,  too  far  off 
themselves  to  judge  of  the  merits  of  the  case.  The  ardor 
with  which  the  valiant  apostle  labored  at  his  task  exposed 
his  measures  to  criticism  and  false  interpretations. 

The  first  friction  and  trouble  began  when  Father  De  Smet 
established  the  Oregon  Missions.  Among  his  auxiliaries 
were  fellow-missionaries  who,  chafing  under  his  authority, 
complained  to  Rome.  The  missionary,  conscious  of  his 
conservative  measures  and  his  labors  to  keep  peace,  was 
consequently  able  to  enlighten  the  Father  General  as  to 
the  cause  of  the  trouble,  and  of  his  innocence  of  the  un- 
merited charges. 

In  the  spring  of  1848  Father  Roothaan  charged  Father 
Elet  to  assure  the  former  Superior  of  Oregon  "that  he 
enjoyed  his  full  confidence."  However,  this  was  but  a 
short  respite.  In  a  letter  dated  February  17,  1849, 
Father  Roothaan  informs  Father  De  Smet  that  he  is  ac- 
cused of  offending  against  holy  poverty,  and  of  dispensing 
funds  as  though  the  management  of  money  were  his  own 
affair.  These  accusations  determined  Father  De  Smet  to 
resign  his  post  of  Procurator  General.  With  tears  in  his 
eyes  he  begged  Father  Elet  to  relieve  him  of  a  charge  he 
was  judged  unworthy  of  holding,  for  he  felt  that  hence- 
forth the  burden  would  be  more  than  he  could  bear. 
Nevertheless,  he  felt  it  incumbent  upon  him  to  reply  tO' 
these  imputations,  which  attacked  his  honor  as  a  priest 
and  a  Jesuit.     Hence,  he  forwarded  to  the  General  of  the 


242     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Jesuits  an  exact  account  of  his  administration  since  1840, 
when  the  mission  funds  were  given  into  his  hands.  This 
account  had  been  several  times  submitted  to  the  inspection 
and  control  of  Fathers  Van  de  Velde  and  Elet.  Had  use- 
less expenditures  been  made,  as  the  amount  of  debt  proved, 
it  was  because  "neither  his  advice  nor  his  orders  had  been 
complied  with." 

' '  In  what  concerns  my  personal  expenditures,  apart  from 
the  modest  sum  paid  my  guide,  I  made  three  journeys  from 
the  Rocky  Mountains  to  St.  Louis  without  spending  a 
dollar.  Last  year  when  I  visited  the  Indians,  I  traversed 
three  thousand  miles  of  territory,  was  absent  four  months, 
and  the  entire  expense  of  my  journey  amounted  to  $50." 
Even  during  his  travels  in  Europe  he  lived  most  modestly. 
"When  in  Paris,  rinding  myself  at  a  distance  from  the 
Jesuit  house,  I  more  than  once  dined  on  two  or  three 
pennies'  worth  of  chestnuts.  I  journeyed  once  from 
Marseilles  to  Rome  and  back  again  upon  the  main  deck 
of  the  boat,  my  food  consisting  of  a  piece  of  bread  and 
some  meat  I  bought  before  embarking,  to  save  expense.  I 
regret  to  be  obliged  to  enter  into  these  details,  but  I  am 
forced  to  do  so  to  clear  myself  of  the  false  charge  made 
against  me.     If  I  have  erred,  I  crave  pardon."5 

In  Father  De  Smet's  statement  of  his  case,  he  gives  not 
only  convincing  reasons  for  his  line  of  conduct,  but  running 
through  it  is  a  note  of  sincerity  that  cannot  be  doubted. 
Father  Roothaan  was  too  clear-sighted  and  loyal  not  to 
accept  his  explanation,  and  retain  the  missionary  in  his 
office  of  Procurator  and  Assistant  to  the  Provincial.  His 
relations  with  his  Superior  were  becoming  most  cordial, 
and  he  hoped  before  long  to  be  allowed  to  go  West  to  open 
new  missions.  Affairs  had  reached  this  point,  when  new 
complications  arose  which  profoundly  impressed  the  Father 
General  and  led  him  to  doubt  the  ultimate  success  of  the 
Oregon  Missions. 

On  May  1,  1852,  Father  De  Smet  wrote  to  Bishop  Van 
de  Velde,  "When  you  were  my  Superior,  you  often  re- 
proached me  for  being  too  easily  affected  and  discouraged 
by  things  said  in  my  disfavor,  and  I  knew  you  were  right. 

5  Letter  of  April  3,  1849. 


THE  YEARS  OF  TRIAL  243 

Again  I  am  being  criticised,  and  am  completely  crushed  by 
the  disapproval  that  comes  from  the  highest  authorities, 
for  not  only  are  the  accusations  false,  but  the  consequence 
of  this  will  be  the  abandonment  of  a  large  number  of  the 
Indians,  for  whom  I  would  gladly  sacrifice  the  remainder 
of  my  life." 

What  then  was  the  nature  of  these  accusations?  They 
are  formulated  in  the  letter  from  the  General  of  the  Jesuits, 
which  had  all  but  prevented  Father  De  Smet's  departure 
for  Fort  Laramie. 

The  following  are  the  specific  charges :  First,  the  reports 
published  by  the  missionary  contained  fantastic  state- 
ments, which  misled  and  caused  bitter  disappointment  to 
missionaries  arriving  in  these  places.  Second,  that  Father 
De  Smet  had  compromised  the  future  of  the  missions  in 
giving  too  generously  to  the  Indians,  and  in  making 
promises  he  was  unable  to  keep.6 

In  reply  to  the  first  charge,  Father  De  Smet  dispatched 
immediately  to  Rome  the  testimony  of  the  principal 
Oregon  missionaries,  notably,  Fathers  Accolti,  Ravalli, 
Mengarini,  Joset,  and  De  Vos.  We  will  cite  but  two  pas- 
sages in  this  letter.  On  June  1,  1847,  a  year  after  Father 
De  Smet's  departure  from  the  mountains,  Father  Accolti, 
Superior  of  the  Willamette  Mission,  wrote  to  the  Provin- 
cial, ''You  may  possibly  meet  critical  men,  who  will  find 
our  reports  of  the  missions  exaggerated.  Do  not  heed 
them,  for  I  can  assure  you  that  when  conditions  are  viewed 
without  prejudice,  the  reality  surpasses  all  the  reports  that 
have  been  hitherto  recorded.  I  state  facts,  and  exaggerate 
nothing.  Nay,  more,  I  voice  the  general  opinion  of 
strangers,  even  Protestants,  who  are  forced  to  believe  the 
evidence  of  facts."7 

Father  Ravalli  says,  in  a  letter  written  the  same  year  to 
Father  Van  de  Velde :   "I  can  say  in  all  sincerity  that  in  the 

6  Letter  of  April  14,  1851. 

7  Washington  Irving,  in  speaking  of  the  Flatheads,  declares:  "To  say 
these  people  are  religious  gives  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  piety  and  devotion 
they  manifest  in  their  conduct  in  life.  They  are  honest  to  a  fault, 
upright  in  their  intentions,  and  their  religious  fidelity  is  truly  remarkable. 
It  is  a  nation  of  saints  rather  than  a  horde  of  barbarians."  ("Adventures 
of  Captain  Bonneville,"  quoted  by  Helen  Hunt  Jackson,  in  "A  Century  of 
Dishonor,"  p.  377.) 


244     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

midst  of  the  Flatheads  I  find  myself  in  a  terrestrial  paradise.. 
In  Father  De  Smet's  letters  which  I  read  in  Rome,  and  in 
the  different  reports  he  wrote  while  I  was  in  Willamette,  I 
feared  his  statements  were  exaggerated,  and  that  his 
rhetorical  flights  were  intended  to  charm  the  reader; 
but  since  Providence  has  granted  my  desire  in  sending  me 
to  the  mountains,  I  know  now  that  if  any  criticism  could 
be  made  of  those  letters  it  would  be  that  Father  De  Smet 
had  minimized  the  good  dispositions  of  these  Indians." 
Along  with  this  testimony,  Father  De  Smet  sent  the 
General  a  letter  from  Bishop  Blanchet,  in  which  he  expresses 
his  gratitude  to  the  missionary  for  the  marvelous  results 
he  had  obtained  in  Oregon.  How  was  it  possible,  after 
such  testimony,  to  see  invention  and  inexactitude  in 
Father  De  Smet's  reports? 

We  will  cite  from  the  reply  of  Father  Cataldo,  who  was- 
best  qualified  to  judge  the  facts  and  men  of  that  far-off 
period.8 

"Some,"  says  he,  "seeing  only  a  small  number  of  the 
stations,  and  not  finding  there  conditions  Father  De  Smet 
had  experienced,  concluded  that  his  accounts  were  exag- 
gerated or  the  work  of  imagination.  I  learned  to  appre- 
ciate Father  De  Smet  when  I  came  in  contact  with  the 
Indians,  and,  when  occasion  presented,  I  spoke  my  mind 
to  those  who  undervalued  the  author  of  the  'Letters.'  I 
have  always  denounced  their  accusations."  9 

As  to  the  second  charge,  that  he  had  by  undue  liberality 
and  rash  promises  compromised  the  future  of  the  missions, 
Father  De  Smet  again  quotes  the  testimony  of  his  fellow- 
priests.  "I  could  fill  many  pages  with  extracts  from 
letters  written  by  the  Oregon  Fathers  who  praise  my  work 
among  the  Indians,  and  these  letters  were  written  years 
after  I  had  left  them."  10 

He  quotes  in  particular  a  letter  from  Father  Joset, 
written  November  i,  185 1.  "You  will  be  delighted  to 
hear  that  the  Pend  d'Oreilles,  Cceur  d'Alenes,  Chaudieres, 
and  the  tribes  of  the  Columbia  Lakes  give  entire  satisfac- 

8  Father  Cataldo  arrived  in  Oregon  in  1864,  and  was  for  many  years 
Superior  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Mission. 

9  Pendleton,  March  5,  1909. 

10  Letter  to  Bishop  Van  de  Velde,  May  1,  1852. 


THE  YEARS  OF  TRIAL  245 

tion  to  the  missionaries,  and,  I  may  add,  have  never  been 
better  behaved." 

The  future  of  the  missions  was  far  from  being  com- 
promised, though  one  event  which  took  place  at  the  close 
of  1850  was  calculated  to  cause  the  Father  General  legiti- 
mate apprehension.  St.  Mary's  Mission,  the  first  estab- 
lished in  the  mountains,  was  abandoned.  Situated  in  a 
smiling,  fertile  valley,  and  well  provisioned,  the  "reduc- 
tion" offered  great  facilities  to  the  traveler.  Every  year 
trappers  and  American  hunters  returned  to  winter  there, 
wishing,  they  said,  to  fulfil  their  religious  duties.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  many  only  sought  comfortable  winter 
quarters  in  the  mission,  and  abandoned  themselves,  under 
the  eyes  of  the  Indians,  to  shameful  disorders.  The 
Fathers  reproved  these  men  for  their  licentious  living,  and 
they,  to  revenge  themselves,  incited  the  Indians  against 
the  missionaries,  saying  they  were  ambitious  men,  whose 
sole  object  in  coming  from  the  other  side  of  the  ocean 
was  to  seize  their  land  and  oppress  them.  These  calum- 
nies, in  conjunction  with  the  intrigues  of  an  Indian  who 
wished  to  become  chief,  did  not  lack  success,  for  however 
sincere  may  have  been  the  conversion  of  the  Flatheads, 
their  unstable  nature  still  remained.  From  being  docile 
and  devoted  to  the  Black  Robes  they  gradually  drew 
away  from  their  benefactors,  and  forswore  the  promises 
made  in  baptism.  Their  passion  for  play  was  awakened, 
and  whiskey  brought  by  the  white  man  began  its  ravages. 

The  summer  hunt  of  1849  was  the  occasion  of  dire 
excesses.  Ashamed  of  their  conduct,  the  neophytes  scarcely 
dared  return  to  St.  Mary's.  Father  Mengarini  received 
them  cordially,  but  all  in  vain.  They  felt  that  every  eye 
reproached  them  for  their  disorderly  life.  All  those  who 
had  taken  part  in  the  hunt  mounted  their  steeds  one 
morning  and  went  away  to  pitch  their  tents  nine  miles 
distant.  Only  a  few  old  people,  deploring  the  misconduct 
of  the  tribe,  remained  with  the  missionary.  Victor,  the 
chief,  had,  unfortunately,  neither  the  energy  nor  the  in- 
fluence of  Big  Face.  When  asked  to  intervene,  his  only 
reply  was,  "What  can  I  do?" 

Wishing  at  all  costs  to  win  back  his  wayward  children, 
Father  Mengarini  went  in  pursuit  of  them.     Alas!  his 


246     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

advances  produced  no  effect.  At  a  loss  to  know  how- 
to  reclaim  them,  he  consulted  his  Superior,  Father  Accolti, 
who  deemed  it  wise  to  close  the  "reduction"  for  a  time. 
The  departure  of  the  Fathers  would  perhaps  bring  the 
Flatheads  to  their  senses,  and  realizing  the  services  ren- 
dered by  the  Black  Robes,  they  might  become  docile  once 
more  and  beg  the  missionaries  to  return.11  With  death 
in  their  souls,  the  missionaries  departed  from  St.  Mary's, 
where,  formerly,  the  neophytes'  fervor  had  given  them 
sweetest  joy.  Father  Mengarini  retired  to  Willamette, 
and  Father  Ravalli  to  the  Cceur  d'Alenes.12 

The  Superiors  saw  in  this  abandonment  of  St.  Mary's  the 
fruit  of  Father  De  Smet's  liberality  and  rash  promises, 
but  the  missionaries  protested  vigorously  that  the  accusa- 
tions were  "false  in  every  respect."  13 

The  missionary's  grief  and  anxiety  were  augmented  by 
the  fear  that  the  Father  General  might  not  this  time 
exonerate  him  from  all  blame,  for  he  had  now  waited  a 
year  for  a  reply  to  his  letters.  At  last  the  long-looked-for 
letter  arrived  from  Rome,  in  which  Father  Roothaan  ren- 
dered justice  to  Father  De  Smet's  zeal  and  sincerity,  al- 
though he  could  not  understand  what  had  taken  place. 
"The  reverses  of  these  last  years,"  he  said,  "are  still  in- 
explicable, especially  the  change  that  has  taken  place  in 
the  Flatheads."  14 

The  future  of  the  "reductions"  was  a  never-ceasing 
cause   of   anxiety   to   the   Father  General.15     While  con- 

11  Such  measures  had  been  taken  with  the  Cceur  d'Alenes,  for  a  time  re- 
fractory, with  great  success. 

12  Cf.  Father  Mengarini's  Memoir es  in  The  Woodstock  Letters,  June,  1889, 
pp.  149-152.  Palladino,  "Indian  and  White  in  the  Northwest,"  p.  50.  In 
consequence  of  circumstances  that  will  be  related  further  on,  the  mission 
was  not  opened  until  sixteen  years  later.  Father  Mengarini  never  again 
saw  St.  Mary's.  After  a  short  stay  at  Willamette  he,  with  Fathers  Nobili 
and  De  Vos,  was  put  in  charge  of  the  new  California  Mission.  He  never 
forgot  his  dear  Flatheads,  and  consecrated  his  meager  leisure  to  composing 
a  grammar  destined  to  be  of  great  service  to  the  missionaries.  (A  Selish 
or  Flathead  Grammar,  New  York,  1861.)  He  died  at  Santa  Clara,  Sept. 
23,  1886. 

13  Letter  to  Father  Murphy,  Vice-Provincial  of  Missouri,  March  1,  1852. 
"Letter  of  April  15,  1852. 

15  "Now  that  St.  Mary's  Mission  is  closed,"  he  said,  "I  fear  greatly  for 
the  others."     (The  Woodstock  Letters,  1887,  p.  96.) 


THE  YEARS  OF  TRIAL  247 

vinced  that  the  reports  were  exaggerated,  he  feared,  never- 
theless, that  Father  De  Smet  had  been  too  optimistic, 
and  had  entertained  projects  too  vast.  Moreover,  the  situa- 
tion could  not  have  completely  changed  since  the  former 
Superior's  departure  five  years  previous.  Before  permitting 
new  missions  to  be  opened,  and  even  before  justifying 
Father  De  Smet's  conduct  and  management,  the  General 
decided  to  suspend  judgment  and  await  more  definite 
news. 

Such  difficulties  are  not  of  rare  occurrence  in  the  history 
of  apostolic  work.  The  missionary  who  carries  the 
Gospel  into  a  new  country  is  usually  eager  and  impatient 
to  assure  his  conquest,  and  at  the  risk  of  seeming  importu- 
nate, seeks  more  abundant  resources,  and  an  increasing 
number  of  co-workers.  His  enterprise  may  appear  too 
daring.  The  difficulties  of  the  beginning,  and  the  inevitable 
checks  invite  the  condemnation  of  the  faint-hearted,  the 
criticism  of  the  short-sighted.  Even  Superiors,  before 
engaging  themselves  to  support  a  venture,  require  certain 
guarantees.  But  when  it  is  evident  that  the  work  has 
God's  blessing  and  promises  an  abundant  harvest,  and  the 
future  seems  assured,  those  who  at  first  counseled  modera- 
tion applaud  success  and  give  unstinted  approval. 

Father  De  Smet's  work,  like  that  of  all  who  have  initia- 
tive, must  be  tried  by  the  test  of  time.  To-day  no  one 
questions  the  valiant  missionary's  right  to  the  glory  of 
having  opened  a  fruitful  field  to  Catholic  apostolic 
work. 

"It  is  beyond  all  question,"  writes  Father  Cataldo,  "that 
Father  De  Smet  was  a  superior  man,  and  one  sent  by  Provi- 
dence to  the  missions.  Humanly  speaking,  without  him, 
or  some  one  of  the  same  caliber,  the  mountain  missions 
would  never  have  existed,  and  failing  these,  the  California 
Missions  would  not  now  be  in  existence.16  He  was  not  a 
resident  missionary,  it  is  true,  but  he  was  the  great  organ- 
izer of  the  missions.  He  knew  how  to  approach  and  charm 
the  Indians,  and  to  lead  them  under  the  direction  of  a 
Father.  He  found  not  only  the  means,  but  the  men,  whom 
he  accompanied  to  the  scenes  of  their  labors,  taught  them 

16  The  California  Missions  and  the  Rocky  Mountain  Missions,  which 
were  united  on  July  31,  1909,  form  now  the  California  Province. 


248     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

how  to  manage  the  Indians,  and  only  departed  when  he 
saw  them  with  the  work  well  in  hand."  17 

In  1 89 1  Bishop  Brondel  of  Helena  called  upon  the  faith- 
ful in  his  diocese  to  celebrate,  on  the  first  Sunday  of  October, 
the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  introduction  of  Catholicism 
into  Montana.  "If  to-day,"  said  he,  in  speaking  of  the 
founders  of  St.  Mary's,  "there  is  not  an  Indian  tribe 
without  schools  and  churches,  not  a  hamlet  without  its 
Catholic  chapel,  not  a  city  of  importance  without  its 
churches  and  schools  and  hospitals,  we  owe  it  in  a  large 
part  to  the  heroic  pioneers  of  the  faith."  18 

As  with  the  apostles  of  our  blessed  Lord,  what  Father  De 
Smet  sowed  in  sorrow,  others  reaped  in  joy. 

When  the  Master's  cross  was  pressing  heaviest  upon  the 
shoulders  of  the  missionary,  he  was  deprived,  gradually, 
of  all  human  support.  We  know  already  the  details  of 
Father  Hoecken's  death.  A  few  months  later  Father  Elet 
died  at  Florissant,  and  when  Father  De  Smet  returned 
from  Fort  Laramie,  he  whom  he  called  "the  truest  brother 
and  friend,"19  he,  whose  gentleness  and  charity  had  sup- 
ported him  in  hours  of  trial,  was  no  more.  These  two  Jes- 
uits had  been  intimately  connected  from  the  time  they 
were  young  men.  Sons  of  Flanders,  both  crossed  to 
America  together  and  together  shared  the  labors  of  those 
heroic  days  in  Whitemarsh  and  Florissant.  They  were 
ordained  at  the  same  time,  they  took  part  in  the  coloniza- 
tion of  Missouri,  aided  materially  in  founding  the  St.  Louis 
College,  and  for  years  shared  the  government  of  the  Vice- 
Province.  Faithful  to  the  memory  of  his  sainted  friend, 
Father  De  Smet  writes  touchingly,  not  only  in  sorrow  for 
his  loss,  but  in  admiration  of  his  virtues.20 

We  remember  Madam  Duchesne,  that  remarkable  re- 
ligious of  the  Sacred  Heart,  who,  in  1823,  received  Father 
Van   Quickenborne's  valiant  band  of  missionaries  upon 

17  Letter  quoted.  Father  de  la  Motte,  who  succeeded  Father  Cataldo  as 
Superior  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  and  California  Missions,  shared  absolutely 
the  opinion  of  his  predecessors.  "Father  De  Smet's  hopes,"  said  he,  "have 
been  more  than  realized."     (Santa  Clara,  March  16,  1909.) 

18  Sept.  27,  1891. 

19  Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  St.  Louis,  April  17,  1851. 

20  Selected  Letters,  2d  Series,  p.  51. 


THE  YEARS  OF  TRIAL  249 

their  arrival  in  Missouri.  The  evangelization  of  the 
Indians  absorbed  her  thoughts  and  energies.  "My  whole 
pleasure,"  she  writes,  "is  to  hear  about  the  promising 
future  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Mission.  In  realizing  the 
expense  such  a  foundation  entails,  one  is  tempted  to  wish 
for  money. ' ' 21 

Encouraged  and  seconded  by  this  valiant  woman  since 
his  novitiate,  Father  De  Smet  venerated  her  as  a  mother, 
and  each  time  he  returned  from  his  missions  his  greatest 
pleasure  was  to  repair  at  once  to  the  convent  to  give  her 
an  account  of  the  progress  the  Gospel  was  making.  ' '  Never 
did  I  leave  her,"  he  says,  "without  feeling  that  I  had  been 
conversing  with  a  saint.  I  have  always  regarded  this 
Mother  as  the  greatest  protector  of  our  missions.  For 
several  years  she  offered  two  communions  a  week  and 
daily  prayers  for  the  conversion  of  the  Indians,  whom  she 
dearly  loved."  22 

Madam  Duchesne  was  now  over  eighty  years  of  age. 
Feeling  the  end  approaching,  she  wished  to  take  leave  of 
what  she  held  most  dear  in  life:  The  Sacred  Heart  Com- 
munity, her  family,  and  the  Indian  Missions.  "My 
very  dear  Father,"  she  writes  to  the  apostle  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  ' '  I  cannot  leave  this  life  without  expressing  to 
you  my  gratitude.  Do  not  forget,  after  her  death,  her  to 
whom  you  were  so  good  upon  earth.  Your  prayers  will 
plead  for  me  with  the  Sovereign  Judge  whom  I  have  so 
often  offended."  She  then  promises  to  pray  for  the 
Indians,  and  especially  for  their  good  Father. 

On  November  18,  1852,  the  eminent  foundress  expired 
at  St.  Charles,  leaving  her  community  well  established  in 
America  and  animated  with  her  spirit.  Father  De  Smet 
received,  before  long,  assurance  of  her  happiness.  It  had 
been  agreed  between  them  that  the  first  to  die  would  ob- 
tain, if  possible,  a  special  favor  for  the  other.  Immedi- 
ately after  Madam  Duchesne's  death,  Father  De  Smet 
experienced  the  fulfilment  of  the  saintly  woman's  promise.23 

The  following  year  Father  Roothaan  passed  to  his  re- 

21  See  Bishop  Baunard.     "  Histoire  de  Madam  Duchesne,"  p.  469. 

22  Letter  of  Oct.  9,  1872. 

23  Bishop  Baunard,  op.  cit.,  p.  489.  We  do  not  know  the  nature  of  the 
favor. 

17 


250    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

ward.  Until  the  last,  he  felt  concern  for  the  future  of  the 
Oregon  Missions.  Father  De  Smet  sorrowed  for  the  loss 
of  a  man  he  esteemed,  loved,  and  venerated,  and  from 
whom  he  had  received  much  kindness.24 

The  surviving  friends  were  dispersed.  With  Father 
Van  de  Velde,  now  Bishop  of  Chicago,  and  Bishop  Miege, 
Vicar  Apostolic  to  the  Indian  Territory,  Father  De  Smet 
would  henceforth  have  but  remote  connections.  More- 
over, he  had  arrived  at  an  age  where  it  is  difficult  to  form 
new  ties.  His  friends  disappearing  one  by  one,  the 
missionary  attached  himself  more  and  more  to  the  one 
Friend  who  remains  when  all  others  have  passed  away, 
making  Him  the  confidant  of  his  most  intimate  sufferings. 
He  courageously  embraced  the  cross,  and  dwelt  continu- 
ally upon  thoughts  that  for  some  time  past  had  occupied 
his  mind.  "Why,  my  soul,  wouldst  thou  avoid  the  cross? 
Whichever  way  thou  mayst  turn  thou  canst  not  escape  it. 
To  evade  one  cross  is  but  to  encounter  two  others.  Per- 
haps it  is  the  suffering  thou  dost  fear?  Be  wise!  Wel- 
come the  cross  that  is  sent  by  heaven,  and  try  to  compre- 
hend its  value.  In  it  thou  wilt  find  thy  happiness;  it  is 
soaked  with  the  blood  of  Christ,  so  generously  spilled  to 
wash  away  sin  and  open  heaven."  25 

Strengthened  by  these  thoughts,  Father  De  Smet  met 
unflinchingly  a  new  sacrifice.  There  was  a  question  of 
taking  him  not  only  from  the  missions,  but  from  America, 
his  adopted  country.  On  March  12,  1852,  he  wrote  to 
the  Provincial  in  Holland:  "Perhaps  you  are  already  in 
receipt  of  the  letter  in  which  the  Provincial  of  Missouri 
communicates  his  intention,  and  that  of  his  consultors, 
to  send  me  to  Europe  as  Procurator  of  the  Vice-Province 
and  the  Indian  Missions,  and  seeks  your  advice  upon  the 
advisability  of  the  step.     Father  Elet  formed  this  project 

24  Letter  to  Bishop  Van  de  Velde,  May  1,  1852. 

25  The  following  words,  translated  from  the  Flemish,  were  inscribed  upon 
a  picture  given  by  Father  De  Smet  to  a  benefactress  of  the  missions: 
"I  hope  you  will  accept  this  little  remembrance.  It  is  one  of  my  faithful 
companions.  In  1821  it  crossed  the  Atlantic  with  me  for  the  first  time.  May 
it  be  as  fruitful  for  you  as  it  has  been  for  me!  Whenever  I  have  been  in 
affliction,  to  look  at  it  has  encouraged  me  to  bear  patiently  the  contradic- 
tions and  trials  God  has  been  pleased  to  send  me."  (St.  Louis,  May  22, 
1849.) 


THE  YEARS  OF  TRIAL  251 

during  his  Provincialship,  and  it  appears  that  your  Pa- 
ternity has  already  given  to  it  your  approval. 

' '  With  regard  to  myself,  I  wish  to  at  once  assure  you  that 
I  have  no  desire  to  influence  the  decision  of  my  Superiors, 
and  am  ready  and  willing  to  execute  their  orders ;  further- 
more, after  mature  reflection  and  prayer,  I  wish  to  see 
them  carried  out,  because  I  would  gladly  spend  the  few 
remaining  years  of  my  life  in  the  strict  observance  of  our 
holy  rules,  and  in  perfect  submission  to  orders.  I  feel 
this  to  be  a  need,  after  so  many  years  spent  in  the  far 
missions  of  America. 

"Father  Hoecken's  enviable  death  upon  the  battle- 
field, and  that  of  the  venerated  Father  Elet,  who  for  many 
years  was  not  only  my  brother  in  Christ,  but  a  guide  by 
his  advice  and  example,  make  me  sincerely  desire  this 
change.  I  assure  you,  Most  Reverend  Father,  that  I  will 
endeavor  to  give  complete  satisfaction,  and  that  should 
you  deign  to  accept  the  Provincial's  proposition,  I  shall  be 
most  grateful  to  you.  To  be  able  to  live  the  life  of  a 
religious  in  the  practice  of  obedience,  and,  when  occasion 
presents,  to  still  be  useful  to  America,  if  such  be  the 
will  of  my  Superiors,  is,  before  God,  my  earnest  desire." 

God  was  content  with  this  generous  offer,  and  the 
Superiors  of  the  Society  let  the  project  drop.  Father 
De  Smet  remained  in  St.  Louis  and  continued  under  the 
new  Provincial,  Father  Murphy,  to  fill  the  office  he  had 
occupied  under  Father  Elet.  The  fact  that  he  remained 
Procurator  of  Missouri  until  his  death  is  the  best  proof  of 
the  wisdom  of  his  administration.  Peace  again  entered  his 
soul,  and  on  August  15,  1855,  he  bound  himself  by  further 
solemn  vows  more  closely  to  the  Master  whom  he  promised 
to  serve  to  the  end.26 

These  years  of  bitter  trial  had  but  strengthened  his 
virtue,  and  by  the  enlightenment  that  came  from  on  high 
he  realized  that  trial  is  an  inevitable  condition  of  all  fruit- 
ful work.  After  the  example  of  a  crucified  Saviour,  the 
apostle    must    be    willing    to    suffer.     Seeing    himself    so 

26  Jesuits  are  ordinarily  not  ordained  until  seventeen  years  after  they 
enter  the  novitiate.  Father  De  Smet,  received  for  the  second  time  into  the 
Society  at  the  close  of  1837,  was  obliged  to  wait  until  1855  for  his  final 
incorporation. 


252     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

quickly  downcast  and  crushed,  he  became  more  humble 
and  more  compassionate  for  human  suffering  about  him, 
and  he  acquired,  especially,  the  habit  of  looking  to  God 
for  support.  "Our  strength  consists  in  a  knowledge  of 
our  own  weakness,  and  in  the  possession  of  that  great 
remedy,  the  grace  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Mediator."27  These 
words  translate  admirably  St.  Paul's  Cum  infirmor,  tunc 
potens  sum.28 

In  taking  him  away  from  his  dear  missions,  God  imposed 
a  heavy  sacrifice  upon  Father  De  Smet,  but  his  courageous 
obedience,  far  from  curtailing  his  work,  brought  him  even 
more  important  achievements. 

27  Letter  to  Laura  Blondel,  wife  of  Charles  De  Smet,  nephew  of  the  mis- 
sionary, June  I,  i860. 

28  "When  I  am  weak,  then  am  I  powerful."     (2  Cor.  xii,  10.) 


CHAPTER  XVI 

PROGRESS  MADE  BY  CATHOLICISM  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 

FATHER     DE     SMET'S     APOSTOLATE     IN     ST.     LOUIS THE 

' '  KNOW-NOTHINGS  ' ' — (i 849-1 858) 

Extraordinary  Growth  of  Colonization — Progress  of  Catholicism — The 
First  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore — The  Oxford  Movement  and  Its 
Effect  in  America — Eccleston,  Brownson,  Hecker — Success  of  the 
Jesuits  in  St.  Louis — Fathers  Smarius,  Damen,  Weninger — Father 
De  Smet's  Apostolate — The  Emigrants — His  Former  Traveling  Com- 
panions— St.  Anne's  Church — The  Direction  of  Souls — Protestant 
Conversions — The  Conversion  of  Randolph  Benton — Attacks  from 
Enemies  of  the  Church — Boernstein,  Kossuth,  Lola  Montez — The 
"Know-Nothings" — Attack  upon  Archbishop  Bedini — "There  is  No 
Other  Country  in  the  World  where  Honest  Men  Enjoy  so  Little  Liberty" 
— The  Jesuits  are  Not  Spared — Fathers  Bapst  and  Nachon — End  of 
the  Agitation  which  Served  but  to  Strengthen  Catholicism — Father 
De  Smet  is  Again  Spoken  of  for  the  Episcopate — "My  Heart  is  Always 
with  the  Indians." 

SINCE  the  coming  of  the  Jesuits  to  Missouri,  coloniza- 
tion west  of  the  Alleghanies  had  progressed  at  an 
astonishing  rate.  To  this  country,  as  vast  in  extent  as 
the  continent  of  Europe,  there  nocked,  yearly,  thousands 
of  emigrants  attracted  by  the  richness  of  the  virgin  soil. 
Before  long  the  wilderness  began  to  develop.  In  thirty 
years  the  population  of  the  United  States  increased  from 
ten  million  to  twenty-five  million  inhabitants. 

"I  remember,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "when  St.  Louis, 
Cincinnati,  and  Pittsburg  were  simple  villages ;  these  towns 
now  number  over  200,000  souls.  Ten  years  ago,  Chicago 
and  Milwaukee  were  small  inland  ports ;  to-day  the  former 
counts  80,000,  and  the  latter  40,000  inhabitants,  and  re- 
semble huge  beehives  teeming  with  activity.  Follow  the 
course  of  the  rivers;  penetrate  into  the  interior  of  the 
country,  and  from  one  day  to  the  next  you  will  see  beautiful 
parks  replacing  forests,  and  vast  prairies  transformed  into 
prosperous  farms,   possessing  herds  of  cows  and  sheep, 


254    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

droves  of  horses,  and  barns  filled  with  wheat,  while  rail- 
ways and  macadamized  roads  traverse  the  land  in  every 
"direction."  1 

Catholicism  marched  hand  in  hand  with  colonization. 
At  the  beginning  of  his  episcopate,  Archbishop  Carroll  had 
difficulty  in  finding  a  synod  of  twenty-five  priests,  minis- 
tering to  the  40,000  Catholics  of  the  Union.  The  first 
Plenary  Council  held  in  Baltimore  on  May  9,  1852,  was 
composed  of  six  Archbishops  and  thirty-five  Bishops. 
Not  counting  the  missionaries,  America  then  possessed 
about  1,500  priests,  ministering  to  1,600,000  Catholics. 
Churches,  seminaries,  colleges,  convents,  schools,  and 
hospitals  abounded.  "When  I  first  came  to  St.  Louis," 
says  Father  De  Smet,  "the  town  boasted  of  about  4,000 
inhabitants,  one  poor  church,  and  two  small  schools.  To- 
day the  population  exceeds  120,000  souls,  of  which  at 
least  50,000  are  Catholics.  It  possesses  a  beautiful 
cathedral,  eleven  churches,  a  seminary  for  secular  priests, 
and  a  large  and  well-equipped  hospital  in  charge  of  the 
Sisters  of  Charity,  a  Jesuit  college  with  one  hundred  and 
fifty  boarders,  one  hundred  and  twenty  half -boarders  and 
day  scholars,  not  counting  about  four  hundred  free  pupils. 
The  Christian  Brothers  have  a  college  where  the  sons  of 
good  families  are  educated.  The  Ladies  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  and  the  Visitation  and  Ursuline  Sisters  have  opened 
large  boarding-schools  for  girls.  Besides  these,  St.  Louis 
possesses  ten  or  twelve  schools  in  charge  of  nuns  and 
priests  of  religious  orders,  five  orphanages  containing 
over  five  hundred  infants,  a  foundling  asylum,  a  refuge  for 
fallen  women  and  for  young  girls  exposed  to  doubtful 
surroundings. 

"All  the  Masses  are  so  well-attended  that  the  churches 
can  hardly  accommodate  their  congregations,  and  the 
fervor  of  the  faithful  responds  to  the  zeal  of  the  pastors. 
The  harmony  existing  between  the  secular  and  regular  clergy 
contributes  largely  to  the  progress  religion  is  making."  2 

1  Letter  to  Mr.  Conway,  gentleman-in-waiting  to  the  Duke  de  Brabant, 
St.  Louis,  July  10,  1855. 

2  Letter  to  Mr.  Blondel  of  Antwerp,  Louisville,  April  21,  1855.  St.  Louis 
became  an  Archiepiscopal  See  in  1847.  The  first  Bishop  of  the  diocese, 
Right  Rev.  Joseph  Rosati,  died  in  Rome,  Sept.  25,  1843,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Bishop,  later  Archbishop,  Peter  Richard  Kenrick. 


PROGRESS  MADE  BY  CATHOLICISM      255 

To  what  can  we  attribute  these  consoling  results?  To 
the  large  numbers  of  Canadian,  Irish,  German,  and 
Polish  emigrants  who  had  settled  in  the  Mississippi  valley, 
on  the  prairies,  and  in  the  regions  of  the  Great  Lakes.  Poor, 
for  the  most  part,  but  robust,  patient,  and  enterprising, 
they  pushed  to  the  Far  West,  and  to  them  we  owe  the 
material  prosperity  of  the  United  States.  Desirous  of 
bringing  up  their  children  in  the  Faith  of  their  fathers, 
these  men  enriched  America  with  churches,  schools,  and 
convents.  While  the  Puritan  families  in  New  England 
had  but  one  or  two  children,  the  new-comers,  with  their 
numerous  offspring,  fast  became  the  controlling  element  in 
the  country.  The  progress  of  Catholicism  outstripped  the 
increase  in  population.  Since  the  beginning  of  the  cen- 
tury, the  number  of  Catholics  had  increased  from  one  to 
ten  per  cent,  of  the  inhabitants. 

Catholicism  becoming  better  known,  conversions  from 
Protestantism  were  of  frequent  occurrence.  The  closing 
ceremonies  of  the  eighth  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore 
lent  prestige  to  Catholicism.  The  Bishops,  whose  dioceses 
extended  from  Louisiana  to  Oregon,  went  in  procession  to 
the  cathedral  to  the  accompaniment  of  hymns  and  the 
ringing  of  joy-bells.  The  thousands  of  faithful  who  com- 
posed these  various  dioceses  harkened  to  the  voice  of 
their  Bishops,  and  an  immense  concourse  of  Catholics 
acknowledged  the  only  religion  which  can  claim  the  right 
of  directing  souls. 

The  Oxford  Movement,  which,  in  1840,  sundered  from 
the  Church  of  England  the  elite  of  its  ministers,  had  its 
echo  in  America.  Those  sincerely  seeking  truth  severed  the 
closest  ties  to  embrace  the  true  religion.  Men  distinguished 
in  the  intellectual  world — among  whom  can  be  cited 
Archbishop  Eccleston,  Brownson  the  writer,  and  Father 
Hecker  the  apostle — came  over  to  Rome.  Many  entered 
the  priesthood,  and  later  on  were  elevated  to  the  ranks  of 
the  princes  of  the  Church. 

The  Jesuits  in  St.  Louis  contributed  largely  to  the  suc- 
cess of  the  religious  movement. 

"The  following,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "is  what  we 
are  accomplishing  in  one  church  only.     In  St.   Francis 


256     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Xavier's,  our  college  church,  last  year  (1854)  the  number  of 
communicants  exceeded  50,000  and  between  sixty  and 
eighty  conversions  were  made.  The  two  Sodalities  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  count  among  their  four  hundred  members, 
lawyers,  doctors,  bankers,  merchants,  clerks,  etc.  All 
are  monthly  communicants,  and  wear  the  miraculous 
medal.  The  Archconfraternity  of  Our  Lady  of  Victory 
numbers  between  5,000  and  6,000  members,  the  Association 
of  the  Sacred  Heart,  2,000,  and  1,000  children  attend 
the  parish  school."  3 

The  University  possessed  one  eminent  controversialist 
and  renowned  preacher.  Father  Smarius  of  Brabant, 
Holland,  attracted  crowds  of  Catholics  and  Protestants 
every  Sunday,  who  studied  religious  questions  in  order  to 
reply  to  his  arguments.  A  Protestant  newspaper,  The 
Republic,  published  the  conferences  and  the  replies,  and  thus 
spread,  through  the  States  of  the  Union,  the  defence  of 
Catholicism. 

Another  Hollander,  Father  Damen,  preached  without 
respite  in  town  and  country,  often  receiving  as  many  as 
sixty-seven  converts  into  the  Church  in  one  day.  He, 
with  his  assistants,  gave  over  two  hundred  missions  and 
brought  12,000  souls  into  the  Church.  With  equal  success, 
Father  Weninger  taught  the  word  of  God  for  thirty  years 
in  both  German  and  English,  and  his  many  controversial 
works  and  pious  writings  proved  as  potent  for  good  as  his 
spoken  word,  meriting  for  him  words  of  praise  from  the 
Sovereign  Pontiffs. 

Occupied  as  he  was  with  the  administration  of  the 
Vice-Province,  Father  De  Smet  had  little  leisure  to  con- 
secrate to  the  ministry.  He  found  means,  however,  of  in- 
fluencing souls,  and  effected  many  conversions  in  St. 
Louis.  His  greatest  care  was  for  the  emigrants  on  the 
levee.  He  recognized  at  once  the  fair  hair,  bright  coloring, 
and  direct  glance  of  the  Flemish,  and  when  the  rough  idioms 
of  his  native  tongue  betrayed,  unmistakably,  his  country- 
man, he  approached,  told  him  who  he  was,  and  asked 
for  news  of  Belgium.  From  him  they  received  money  and 
encouragement,  and  were  told  where  to  settle  in  their 
new  country.     Above  all,  he  recommended  the  emigrants 

3  Letter  to  Mr.  Blondel,  April  22,  1855. 


PROGRESS  MADE  BY  CATHOLICISM      257 

to  be  ever  faithful  to  their  religious  duties,  and  informed 
them  where  they  could  find  a  priest  to  minister  to  their 
needs. 

For  the  greater  number,  the  exodus  was  attended  with 
disastrous  results.  Emigrant-boats  were  then  more  like 
slave-ships.  Packed  together  below  the  decks,  the  people 
perished  by  hundreds,  the  mortality  being  ten  per  cent, 
in  American  boats  and  thirty  per  cent,  in  English  boats. 
Those  who  survived  became  the  prey,  upon  debarking, 
of  unscrupulous  railway  agents. 

"Two  or  three  thousand  Europeans,"  writes  Father  De 
Smet,  "often  pass  through  St.  Louis  in  one  week  on  their 
way  to  the  West.  Every  steamboat  is  crowded  to  the 
rails,  and  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  state  that  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  persons  die  on  each  boat  between  New  Orleans 
and  St.  Louis."  But,  considering  conditions,  one  marvels 
that  the  mortality  was  not  greater.  "Imagine  several 
hundred  men,  women,  and  children,  and  infants  of  a 
few  months  old,  packed  behind  the  boilers  in  a  space 
fifty  feet  square,  the  sick  breathing  the  infected  air.  When 
I  visited  these  death-traps  it  turned  my  stomach.  It  is  a 
miracle  that  any  one  escapes  alive  from  such  horrible, 
unhealthy  holes.  The  emigrant  transports  now  in  use 
on  the  Mississippi  are  a  disgrace  to  civilization,  and  sordid 
speculation  is  responsible  for  these  conditions.  No  matter 
how  overcrowded  the  boat  may  be,  there  is  always  room 
for  one  more.  Each  passenger  represents  so  much  money, 
and  the  sacrifice  of  human  life  from  overcrowding  is  of 
no  moment.  Whole  families  are  wiped  out  through 
disease,  and  thousands  of  children  are  left  orphans  in  a 
strange  country."  4 

One  day  a  Flemish  family  consisting  of  father,  mother, 
and  nine  children  landed  in  St.  Louis.  The  parents 
and  four  of  the  children  had  fallen  ill  on  the  boat.  The 
mayor5  had  them  taken  to  the  Protestant  hospital,  where 
the  father  succumbed  at  once,  followed  a  few  days  later 
by  the  mother;  shortly  afterward  a  little  girl  of  seven 
died.  Informed  of  this  distressing  case,  Father  De  Smet 
took  the  eight  children,  of  which  the  eldest  was  seventeen 

4  Letter  to  his  brother  Charles,  St.  Louis,  Dec,  1849. 

5  Bryan  Mullanphy,  Mayor  of  St.  Louis. 


258     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

and  the  youngest  eight  months,  under  his  protection.  He 
writes  to  his  brother:  "It  will  doubtless  be  a  consolation 
to  their  friends  in  Belgium  to  know  that  I  have  placed 
the  little  girls  with  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  and  the  two 
small  boys  with  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph.  The  eldest 
boy  and  a  girl  of  thirteen  are  with  good  Catholic  families, 
where  they  will  be  taught  a  trade  or  some  means  of  gaining 
a  livelihood."  6 

From  1850,  the  Government,  aided  by  charitable  organi- 
zations, undertook  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the 
emigrants.  The  great  Archbishop  Hughes  of  New  York 
established  an  Emigrants'  Savings  Bank  which  was  later 
to  become  one  of  the  most  prosperous  banks  in  the  world. 
Yet  years  passed  before  the  emigrant  problem  was  solved.7 

Father  De  Smet  wrote  to  Belgium  again  and  again, 
warning  young  men,  especially,  against  the  fate  that 
awaited  them.  He  sent  his  destitute  and  discouraged 
compatriots  in  St.  Louis  with  letters  of  recommendation 
to  other  places,  where  a  livelihood  could  be  gained  under 
more  favorable  circumstances.  Often  he  advised  them  to 
return  to  Europe,  defraying  out  of  the  personal  means  at 
his  disposal  at  least  a  part  of  the  expenses  of  the  return 
journey. 

The  missionary's  long  sojourn  in  the  wilds  had  brought 
him  in  touch  with  the  trappers  of  the  West,  fort  com- 
manders, and  agents  of  the  fur  companies.  Among  these 
were  highly  educated  Catholics,  forced  by  circumstances  to 
remain  years  without  approaching  the  Sacraments.  To 
serve  as  a  counter  influence  against  indifference  and  error, 
he  sent  them  such  books  as  "Symbolism,"  by  Moehler, 
and  Balmes'  "Protestantism  and  Catholicism  Compared."8 

"You  will  not  regret,"  he  says,  in  speaking  of  the  last 
work,  ' '  consecrating  a  few  hours  of  your  leisure  to  this  book, 
which  contains  varied  subjects  and  new  and  fruitful  ideas. 

6  Letter- quoted. 

7  Extract  from  will  of  Bryan  Mullanphy,  who  died  in  1851:  "I,  Bryan 
Mullanphy,  do  make  and  declare  the  following  to  be  my  last  will  and  testa- 
ment: one  undivided  third  of  all  my  property,  real,  personal,  and  otherwise, 
I  leave  to  the  City  of  St.  Louis  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  in  trust,  to  be  and 
constitute  a  fund  to  furnish  relief  to  all  poor  emigrants  and  travelers  coming 
to  St.  Louis  on  their  way  bona  fide  to  settle  in  the  West." 

8  Le  Protestantisme  compare  au  Catholicisme,  dans  ses  rapports  avec  la 
civilisation  europeenne. 


PROGRESS  MADE  BY  CATHOLICISM      259 

Balmes  is  at  once  a  savant  and  philosopher,  a  profound 
thinker,  the  popular  man  of  the  nineteenth  century  and 
the  valiant  defender  of  Catholic  tradition."  9 

Upon  hearing  that  one  of  his  former  traveling  com- 
panions had  abandoned  his  religious  practices,  Father  De 
Smet  immediately  wrote,  remonstrating  with  the  delin- 
quent in  a  friendly  manner.  ' '  You  tell  me  you  have  visited 
several  churches  in  Baltimore,  where  you  have  admired 
the  architecture  and  been  impressed  with  the  services. 
Dear  friend,  you  have  but  a  step  to  take  now  that  you  are 
in  the  midst  of  pious,  zealous  priests ;  join  in  the  ceremonies 
of  the  Church  in  mind  and  heart,  approach  the  tribunal 
of  confession,  and  receive  the  Bread  of  angels.  You  will 
find  in  it,  be  assured,  an  inestimable  treasure,  a  source  of 
joy,  consolation,  and  peace  of  mind  and  soul  which  the 
world  cannot  give.  You  have  not  been  to  your  duties  for 
years.  Profit  by  the  present  occasion,  I  beg  you,  and 
return  to  God."  10 

Few  resisted  his  appeals.  The  agents  and  business 
men  who  knew  Father  De  Smet  in  the  Far  West,  would, 
upon  their  return  to  St.  Louis  after  years  spent  in  the 
Indian  countries,  come  to  confess  their  sins,  and  to  have 
him  bless  their  marriages  and  baptize  their  children.11 
Unable  to  return  to  the  missions,  Father  De  Smet  endeav- 
ored to  contribute  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  Catholics 
in  St.  Louis.  The  ever-increasing  population  was  in  need 
of  churches.  He  undertook  to  supply  this  need,  and  begged 
sufficient  money  to  build  a  church  which  was  dedicated 
to  St.  Anne,  and  consecrated  by  Archbishop  Kenrick, 
July  27,  1856.  To  his  exterior  activities,  the  zealous  priest 
joined  interior  work  of  the  soul.  His  correspondence  re- 
veals a  director  vigilant  and  solicitous  for  the  soul's  prog- 
ress and  perfection.  Prudently  and  delicately  he  inter- 
preted the  maxims  of  the  Gospel  and  the  teachings  of  the 
saints,  applying  them  to  individual  needs.  Moreover,  it  is 
not  without  interest  to  see  a  man  whose  activities  were  far 
removed  from  the  study  of  mysticism,  quoting  such  au- 
thors as  Father  Surin. 

9  Letter  to  Edwin  Denig,  St.  Louis,  May,   1852. 

10  Letter  to  Charles  Larpenteur,  St.  Louis,  Dec.  17,  1849. 

11  Cf.  Chittenden-Richardson,  op.  cit.,  p.  1499,  et  seq. 


26o     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

The  esteem  Father  De  Smet's  virtues  called  forth  is 
expressed  in  the  words  of  Madam  Duchesne:  "God  must 
be  infinitely  good  to  give  me  such  an  intercessor."  12  The 
prestige  of  his  priestly  labors,  the  dignity  of  his  life,  and  the 
charm  of  his  manner  gained  for  Father  De  Smet  great 
influence  with  both  Protestants  and  Catholics.  On  April 
22,  1854,  he  writes  to  Belgium:  "Since  the  new  year  I 
have  baptized  six  Protestants,  among  them  a  lawyer,  a 
cousin  of  former  President  Taylor,  and  the  wife  of  an  ex- 
superintendent  of  the  Indians.  I  have  also  converted  a 
Freemason  and  am  now  preparing  twenty  Protestants  for 
baptism."  These  lines  give  some  idea  of  his  success,  but 
no  conversion  was  so  remarkable  as  that  of  Randolph 
Benton,  the  only  son  of  Senator  Thomas  Benton,  one  of 
the  best-known  men  of  the  United  States.  A  gifted  youth, 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  had  been  brought  up  a  Protes- 
tant, but  was,  unknown  to  his  family,  thinking  of  becoming 
a  Catholic  when  an  attack  of  dysentery  brought  him  to 
the  point  of  death.  His  father,  for  years  on  friendly  terms 
with  the  college,  hastened  to  inform  Father  De  Smet  of 
the  danger  that  threatened.  "At  his  express  wish  I  visited 
his  son,  and  found  his  condition  alarming.  He  expressed 
his  joy  at  seeing  me  and  thanked  me  for  my  visit.  I  seated 
myself  at  his  bedside  and  exhorted  him  to  have  confidence 
in  God.  He  listened  attentively  to  every  word.  'Yes,' 
replied  the  young  man,  'Our  Lord  sends  only  what  is  good 
for  us.'  I  explained  the  principal  articles  of  religion,  which 
he  accepted  piously  and  in  firm  belief.  The  Senator  was 
present  during  the  interview.  Charmed  and  edified  by 
the  Christian  disposition  of  his  son,  he  pressed  my  hand 
affectionately — then  drawing  me  aside,  exclaimed:  'What 
a  great  consolation  this  is !  Despite  the  sorrow  which  tears 
my  heart,  my  son's  words  fill  me  with  joy.  God  be  praised ! 
If  he  dies,  he  will  die  a  Christian.'  No  longer  able  to 
restrain  his  tears,  the  old  man  retired  to  another  room  to 
hide  his  emotion. 

"I  returned  to  Randolph,  who  declared  his  intention  of 

becoming  a   Catholic.     'With  all  my  heart   I   desire  to 

receive    baptism.      Heaven    grants    me    this   inestimable 

favor,  and  I  feel  sure  my  father  will  not  object.'     I  im- 

12  Baunard,  "  Histoire  de  Madam  Duchesne,"  p.  485. 


THE  APOSTOLATE  IN  ST.  LOUIS  261 

mediately  sought  the  Senator  in  the  adjoining  room  to 
ask  his  consent,  which  he  gave  willingly.  Filled  with  joy, 
the  young  man  prepared  himself  for  the  Sacrament.  Dur- 
ing the  ceremony  of  baptism  his  arms  were  devoutly 
crossed  on  his  breast,  and  with  uplifted  eyes  he  prayed 
fervently,  thanking  God  for  the  grace  accorded  him."  13 

Father  De  Smet  then  administered  the  Viaticum. 
After  he  had  returned  to  the  college  he  received  the  follow- 
ing lines  from  the  Senator:  "Dear  Father  De  Smet: 
After  your  departure,  I  returned  to  my  son,  who  immedi- 
ately asked  me  if  I  was  pleased  with  what  he  had  done. 
'Very  pleased,'  I  replied,  and  then  advised  him  to  rest  and 
be  quiet.  'Peace  and  happiness,'  he  said,  'are  more 
potent  than  sleep.'  Shortly  afterward,  with  his  eyes  raised 
to  heaven,  serenity  of  soul  written  on  his  face,  he  exclaimed, 
in  a  clear,  firm  voice:  'Through  God's  infinite  goodness, 
I  am  perfectly  happy!'  Then  addressing  me,  said,  'I 
have  wished  for  some  time  to  become  a  Catholic,  but  I 
did  not  know  if  you  would  approve.'  I  replied  that 
far  from  being  displeased,  I  was  truly  happy,  and  that 
this  was  the  first  happy  moment  I  had  known  since  his 
illness.  To  you,  dear  Father,  we  owe  all.  You  have  re- 
stored peace  to  my  heart  in  giving  it  to  my  son." 

Randolph  Benton  had  but  a  few  hours  to  live.  With 
touching  piety  he  received  the  Last  Sacraments,  and  on 
March  17,  1852,  at  sunrise,  his  soul,  which  had  never 
"sinned  against  the  light"  entered  into  the  joys  of  the 
Lord.  The  Archbishop  of  St.  Louis  assisted  at  the  funeral 
services,  and  spoke  eloquently  of  the  deceased.  Although 
a  Presbyterian,  Senator  Benton  had  a  hundred  Masses  said 
for  the  repose  of  his  son's  soul.  Father  De  Smet  hoped  to 
Teceive  the  father  into  the  Church.  He  never  became  a 
Catholic,14  but  to  the  end  of  his  life  the  eminent  states- 
man honored  Father  De  Smet  with  his  friendship.15 

13  Letter  to  Father  Murphy,  St.  Louis,  April  I,  1852. 

"Thomas  Benton  died  in  Washington,  April  10,  1858.  He  was  given  a 
public  funeral,  at  which  20,000  persons  assisted.  Nothing  in  the  accounts 
of  his  last  moments  indicates  that  he  embraced  the  Catholic  faith. 

15  Among  the  souvenirs  of  the  missionary,  his  family  preserve  a  copy  of 
"  Une  Histoire  des  Tribus  Indiennes,"  by  Schoolcraft,  in  which  is  found  the 
following  inscription:  "Offert  par  l'ex-s£nateur  Benton  au  Reverend  Pere 
De  Smet,  en  temoignage  d'affectueuse  consideration  et  de  vive  gratitude 


262     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

The  progress  Catholicism  was  making  began  to  disgust 
the  enemies  of  the  Church,  who  soon  began  their  attacks. 
Many  Italians,  Swiss,  Germans,  and  Hungarians,  revolu- 
tionaries fleeing  from  Europe  after  the  events  of  1848, 
sought  in  the  United  States  a  more  favorable  ground  to 
make  propaganda  for  their  so-called  liberal  ideas,  and 
nowhere  was  the  propaganda  so  actively  carried  on  as  in 
St.  Louis.  "We  have  here,"  writes  Father  De  Smet, 
"between  30,000  and  40,000  Germans,  among  whom  are 
many  radicals,  socialists,  and  visionaries  recently  driven 
out  of  Europe.  Their  chief,  a  demagogue  named  Boern- 
stein,  has  been  expelled  successively  from  Germany, 
France,  and  Italy.  Upon  arriving  here  he  declared  war  on 
the  Jesuits,  secular  priests,  and  Catholics,  and  has  labored 
for  two  years  to  incite  his  followers  against  us.  Yesterday, 
at  his  instigation,  they  attempted  to  invade  the  locality 
where  the  election  of  a  new  mayor  was  taking  place  in 
order  to  get  votes  for  their  candidate.  A  bloody  encounter 
took  place;  one  man  was  killed  instantly,  and  five  or  six 
houses  were  burned. 

"Kossuth,  chief  of  the  revolutionary  Hungarians,  has 
come  to  St.  Louis  to  associate  himself  with  Boernstein, 
and,  like  the  latter,  is  attacking  the  Jesuits.  His  popu- 
larity is  diminishing  from  day  to  day.  Doubtless,  he  will 
shortly  retire  to  some  obscure  corner  of  the  world,  there 
to  live  in  luxury  upon  the  fruits  of  his  new  speculation, 
namely,  the  issuance  of  Hungarian  bonds  payable  when 
Hungary  becomes  a  Republic  with  Kossuth  its  first 
President. 

"After  Kossuth,  came  Lola  Montez — she  also  attacked 
the  Jesuits  bitterly,  avowing  they  were  responsible  for  her 
expulsion  from  Bavaria.  The  Jesuits,  she  says,  govern 
Bavaria,  their  Provincial  is  Prime  Minister,  etc."  16 

The  Carbonari,  then  numerous  in  America,  received 
their  orders  direct  from  European  lodges.  They  edited  a 
paper,  L'Eco  d' Italia,  and  labored  unceasingly  to  prejudice 

pour  les  consolations  dont,  apres  Dieu,  il  a  et6  l'instrument,  en  assistant 
un  fils  mourant,  lui  faisant  trouver,  a  vingt-deux  ans,  sur  son  lit  de  mort, 
un  lit  de  fleurs,  lui  decouvrant  au  sortir  de  ce  monde,  le  printemps  de  la  vie, 
l'aurore  d'un  jour  radieux:  spectacle  inoubliable  de  joie  douce  et  sereine, 
de  confiante  esperance  et  de  reconnaissance  a  Dieu."  (St.  Louis, .May,  1852.) 
16  To  Francis  De  Smet,  April  7,  1852. 


THE  KNOW-NOTHINGS  263 

the  people  against  the  Church  and  trammel  the  authority 
of  the  Bishops.  In  the  hope  of  recovering  their  waning 
influence,  the  Protestant  ministers  made  common  cause 
with  the  revolutionaries.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a  vast 
conspiracy,  which  imperiled,  for  a  time,  Catholic  liberty 
in  the  United  States. 

The  Know-Nothings,  a  new  society,17  began  to  be  or- 
ganized about  1852.  Theirs  was  a  secret  order,  which 
bound  its  members  by  a  solemn  oath.  It  was  formed, 
ostensibly,  to  defend  the  rights  of  the  poor  against 
European  invasion.  "America  for  the  Americans"  was 
its  slogan.  With  this  object  in  view,  they  endeavored  to 
have  severe  naturalization  laws  enacted  against  the  new 
arrivals  from  Europe,  and  exclude  citizens  born  of  foreign 
parents  from  holding  public  offices.  In  reality,  these 
fanatics  combated  not  so  much  the  foreign  immigration 
as  the  fidelity  of  the  Europeans,  especially  the  Irish,  to  the 
Church  of  Rome.  To  base  calumnies  they  added  murder, 
pillage,  incendiarism,  and,  before  long,  found  an  occasion 
for  opening  the  campaign.  In  the  spring  of  1853  the 
Papal  Nuncio  to  Brazil,  Archbishop  Bedini,  arrived  in 
New  York,  bringing  the  Sovereign  Pontiff's  blessing  to  the 
faithful  in  the  United  States.  He  was  charged,  moreover, 
to  investigate  the  conditions  of  Catholicism  in  the  great 
Republic. 

The  Know-Nothings  saw  in  this  mission  a  grave  attack 
upon  American  liberties.  Their  newspapers  denounced 
the  perfidious  and  ambitious  intrigues  of  Rome.  The 
apostate  priest  Gavazzi  came  from  London  and  placed  his 
eloquence  at  the  service  of  his  fellow-socialists  and  friends. 
For  several  months  he  followed  the  Envoy  from  one  city 
to  the  other,  vomiting  forth  lies,  threatening  him  with  dire 
reprisals,  and  through  fiery  denunciation  endeavored  to 
stir  up  the  masses  against  "Papists." 

From  vituperation  and  abuse  there  was  but  one  step  to 
action.  On  Christmas  day  in  Cincinnati  a  band  of  as- 
sassins attempted  to  do  away  with  the  Nuncio.  Driven 
off  by  the  police,  they  revenged  themselves  by  burning 
him  in  effigy.     This  odious  scene  was  enacted  in  several 

17  Know-Nothing  means  literally,"  I  know  nothing."  Whenever  questioned 
about  their  society,  the  members  feigned  ignorance. 


264     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

towns.  Conditions  pointing  to  renewed  attacks,  Arch- 
bishop Bedini  was  forced  to  depart  after  a  short  sojourn 
in  the  United  States.18  But  hostilities  did  not  cease  with 
the  departure  of  the  Nuncio.  The  campaign  lasted  for 
three  years,  attended  by  violent  outrages  and  attacks,  and 
armed  forces  had  presently  to  interfere  to  defend  life  and 
property.  A  witness  of  these  disorders,  Father  De  Smet 
draws  a  gloomy  picture  of  existing  conditions  in  his  letters. 
"The  times  are  becoming  terrible  for  Catholics  in  these 
unhappy  States.  Nowhere  in  the  world  do  honest  men 
enjoy  less  liberty."  19 

"European  demagogues,  followers  of  Kossuth,  Mazzini, 
etc.,  have  sworn  to  exterminate  us.  Seven  Catholic 
churches  have  been  sacked  and  burned;  those  courageous 
enough  to  defend  them  have  been  assassinated."  20  "  The 
future  grows  darker,  and  we  are  menaced  from  every  side. 
If  our  enemies  succeed  in  electing  a  President  from  their 
ranks — until  now  the  chances  have  been  in  their  favor — 
Catholics  will  be  debarred  from  practicing  their  religion; 
our  churches  and  schools  will  be  burned  and  pillaged,  and 
murder  will  result  from  these  brawls.  During  this  present 
year  (1854)  over  twenty  thousand  Catholics  have  fled  to 
other  countries  seeking  refuge  from  persecution,  and  many 
more  talk  of  following  them.  The  right  to  defame  and 
exile  is  the  order  of  the  day  in  this  great  Republic,  now 
the  rendezvous  of  the  demagogues  and  outlaws  of  every 
country."  21 

No  laws  were  enacted  for  the  protection  of  Catholics, 
and  in  some  States  the  authorities  were  openly  hostile. 
"The  legislators  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  are  now 
busy  with  the  temporal  affairs  of  the  Church,  which  they 
wish  to  take  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Bishops.  These 
States  have  taken  the  initiative,  and  others  will  soon 
follow.  In  Massachusetts,  a  mischief-making  inquisition 
has  just  been  instituted,  with  the  object  of  investigating 
affairs  in  religious  houses.     In  Boston,   a  committee  of 

18  See  De  Courcy  and  Shea,  "The  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States," 
26.  edition,  New  York,  1857,  Chapters  xxvii  and  xxviii. 

19  To  his  brother  Francis,  St.  Louis,  Sept.  8,  1854. 

20  To  his  brother  Charles,  St.  Louis,  Sept.  25,  1854. 

21  To  his  brother  Francis,  St.  Louis,  Oct.  24,  1854. 


THE  KNOW-NOTHINGS  265 

twenty-four  rascals,  chosen  from  among  the  legislators, 
of  which  sixty  are  Protestant  ministers,  searched  and 
inspected  a  convent  of  the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame  de 
Namur."  22 

While  making  a  tour  of  the  Jesuit  houses  with  the  Provin- 
cial, Father  De  Smet  more  than  once  braved  the  fury  of  the 
fanatics.  In  Cincinnati,  a  priest  could  not  show  himself 
in  the  street  without  being  insulted  by  renegade  Germans, 
Swiss,  and  Italians.  In  Louisville,  thirty  Catholics  were 
killed  in  an  open  square  and  burned  alive  in  their  houses. 
Those  who  attempted  to  flee  were  driven  back  into  the 
flames  at  the  point  of  pistols  and  knives.  Even  in  St. 
Louis,  several  attempts  were  made  in  one  week  upon  the 
lives  of  citizens.  The  Jesuits  were  not  spared.  At 
Ellsworth,  Maine,  Father  Bapst  was  taken  by  force  from 
the  house  of  a  Catholic  where  he  was  hearing  confessions, 
was  covered  with  pitch,  rolled  in  feathers,  tied,  swung  by 
his  hands  and  feet  to  a  pole,  and  carried  through  the  city 
to  the  accompaniment  of  gross  insults. 

Some  months  later,  Father  Nachon  was  arrested  and 
brutally  beaten  in  the  environs  of  Mobile,  when  on  his 
way  to  say  Mass  in  a  neighboring  village.  One  of  the 
assailants,  pointing  a  knife  at  his  heart,  said,  "If  you 
attempt  to  enter  that  village  again,  you  will  feel  the  steel 
of  this  knife."  Father  De  Smet,  who  witnessed  other 
criminal  attempts,  confines  himself  to  the  following  simple 
statement:  "Our  situation  is  far  from  pleasant.  We  live 
in  constant  apprehension,  yet  not  in  fear.  In  any  case, 
it  is  well  to  be  prepared  and  pray  much."23  Far  from 
being  intimidated  by  the  situation,  he  opened  a  college 
in  Milwaukee,  never  doubting  the  religious  future  of  the 
United  States.  From  the  beginning  of  the  troubles  he 
wrote,  "The  Church,  as  in  all  former  persecutions,  will 
come  forth  victorious.  Undoubtedly  there  will  be  martyrs, 
but  when  the  law  which  promises  liberty  of  conscience  to 
every  citizen  shall  be  menaced,  Catholics  will  rise  up  to  a 
man  to  defend  it."  24 

But  Catholics  were  not  the  only  ones  to  protest.     The 

22  To  M.  Blondel  of  Antwerp,  Bardstown,  April  22,  1855. 

23  To  his  nephew  Paul,  St.  Louis,  Aug.  22,  1855. 

24  To  a  Jesuit  in  Brussels,  Bardstown,  June  17,  1854. 
18 


266    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Know-Nothings'  excesses  brought  protests  from  the  honest 
men  of  all  parties.  The  press  denounced  them  before  the 
tribunal  of  the  nation.  In  1856,  when  the  party  hoped  to 
grasp  power,  Buchanan's  election  to  the  Presidency  shat- 
tered the  dreams  of  the  agitators. 

This  persecution  was  the  last  effort  of  Puritan  bigotry. 
The  storm  had  served  but  to  strengthen  the  roots  of  the 
tree  of  faith,  which  now  bore  more  abundant  fruit.  Just 
and  serious-minded  men  investigated  this  attack  on  re- 
ligion, with  the  result  that  ignorance  and  prejudice  dis- 
appeared, and  an  eloquent  defence  of  Catholicism  was 
made  in  Congress.  New  conversions  added  to  its  prestige. 
The  Governors  of  Illinois  and  California  publicly  abjured 
heresy,  and  Dr.  Ives  laid  at  the  feet  of  Pius  IX  his  Protes- 
tant Bishop's  ring.  The  zeal  and  enthusiasm  of  the  new 
converts  made  it  possible  for  Father  Hecker  to  found  a  new 
congregation  devoted  to  the  conversion  of  Protestants.25 

In  i860  America  possessed  forty-three  Archbishops  and 
Bishops,  2,500  priests,  and  4,500,000  Catholics,  one-seventh 
of  the  entire  population.  "Throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land,  religion  is  preached  openly  and  with- 
out hindrance,  and  Mass  is  said  in  private  chapels  as  well 
as  in  the  churches.  With  God's  help,  we  have  every 
reason  for  believing  that  before  the  close  of  the  century, 
the  Church  in  America  will  occupy  an  honorable  place  in 
the  Catholic  hierarchy."26 

The  work  accomplished  by  the  Jesuits  met  with  just 
appreciation  from  the  Bishops,  and  in  1855  five  members 
of  the  Society  of  Jesus  were  proposed  for  the  Episcopate. 
Father  De  Smet,  in  announcing  this  news  to  the  Father 
General,  entreated  him  to  oppose  his  nomination.  His 
name  had  been  sent  to  Rome,27  but  the  humble  religious 
felt  himself  unfitted  for  the  discharge  of  such  high  functions. 
His  sole  ambition  was  to  return  to  the  mountains.     "The 

25  The  first  Paulist  foundation  was  laid  in  New  York  in  1858. 

26  Letter  from  Father  De  Smet  to  his  nephew  Paul,  St.  Louis,  May  15,  i860. 

27  "The  new  Sees  will  soon  be  occupied  by  the  priests  whose  names  have 
been  sent  to  Rome.  Their  nomination  is  expected  at  the  new  consistory. 
Father  De  Smet  of  Termonde  was  proposed  by  the  Synod  of  St.  Louis,  also 
Father  Arnold  Damen  of  Brabant,  Holland."  (Letter  of  Father  Helias 
d'Huddeghem  to  his  family,  Taos,  Jan.  30,  1856.) 


THE  KNOW-NOTHINGS  267 

best  part  of  my  life,"  says  he,  "has  been  given  to  the 
Indians.  I  have  had  the  happiness  of  drying  tears,  dress- 
ing wounds,  especially  wounds  of  the  soul,  and  directing 
those  poor  people  in  the  way  of  man's  true  destiny.  My 
robust  health  has  been  weakened,  and  my  hair  has  turned 
gray  in  their  service."28 

And  again,  "My  heart,  I  admit,  is  ever  with  the  Indians. 
They  frequently  send  me  pressing  invitations  to  return. 
I  am  happy  to  be  of  use  to  them  here,  at  least  in  temporal 
affairs,  and  to  be  able  to  send  our  missionaries  the  means  to 
continue  the  evangelization  of  the  tribes.  The  scarcity  of 
our  Fathers  in  St.  Louis  makes  it  impossible  for  me  to 
be  relieved  of  my  duties  at  present,  but  I  have  not  given 
up  hope,  and  I  beg  God  unceasingly,  if  such  be  His  will,  to 
allow  me  to  pass  my  remaining  years  in  the  Far  West."29 

At  the  moment  of  writing  these  lines  Providence  was 
preparing  for  him  the  great  joy  of  seeing  once  again,  and 
perhaps  saving  from  ruin,  the  Christian  missions  in  Oregon. 

28  Letter  to  his  nieces,  April  20,  1853. 

29  Letter  to  W.  A.  Smets,  St.  Louis,  Jan.  12,  1855. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

EXPEDITION     AGAINST     THE     MORMONS — PACIFICATION      OF 
OREGON — CONDITION   OF   THE   MISSIONS    (1858-1859) 

Father  De  Smet  is  Authorized  by  the  Father  General  to  Return  to  the 
Missions— The  Government  Sends  Troops  Against  the  Mormons- 
Father  De  Smet  is  Appointed  Chaplain  of  the  Troops— The  Oregon 
Missions  Prosper — Testimony  of  Protestants — The  Arrival  of  the 
Whites  in  the  Far  West — Their  Treatment  of  the  Indians— The  Missions 
are  in  Danger— St.  Paul's  at  Fort  Colville  Must  Be  Abandoned  for  a 
Time — The  Uprising  of  the  Tribes — Colonel  Steptoe's  Defeat— General 
Harney,  Sent  to  Subdue  Oregon,  Asks  Father  De  Smet  to  Mediate — 
Colonel  Wright's  Victory — Indians  Conquered,  but  Not  Reconciled — 
Father  De  Smet  Visits  the  Cceur  d'Alenes  and  afterward  the  Other 
Tribes— The  Chiefs  Accompany  Him  to  Vancouver  to  Sign  the  Peace 
Treaty — He  Sees  Signs  of  New  Uprisings— General  Harney  Informs 
the  Secretary  of  War  of  the  Plan  of  Father  De  Smet— Captain  Pleason- 
ton's  Letter— State  of  the  "  Reductions  "—Father  Hoecken  Founds 
St.  Peter's  Mission  for  the  Blackfeet— Father  De  Smet  Returns  to 
St.  Louis— He  Has  Traveled  Fifteen  Thousand  Miles  in  One  Year. 

OPPOSITION  to  Father  De  Smet's  work  had  been 
withdrawn  for  some  time.  In  the  light  of  facts, 
truth  triumphed  over  false  imputations.  The  missionary's 
upright  conduct  and  the  wisdom  of  his  plans  were  recog- 
nized at  Rome,  and  henceforth  his  Superiors  would  not 
oppose  his  desire  to  labor  for  the  missions. 

In  1854  Bishop  Lamy  of  Santa  Fe  asked  Father  Beckx, 
Father  Roothaan's  successor,  to  send  Father  De  Smet  to 
convert  tribes  in  New  Mexico;  but  the  return  to  Europe 
of  the  exiled  Jesuits  in  1848  forced  the  missionary  to 
remain  some  time  longer  in  St.  Louis.  The  appeal  of  the 
Indians  became  more  and  more  pressing.  Smallpox  had 
claimed  four  thousand  victims,  many  of  whom  died  without 
receiving  baptism.  "If  the  wishes  of  my  Superiors,  which 
are  for  me  the  will  of  God,  accorded  with  those  of  the 
Indians,  I  would  set  forth  at  once  to  contribute  my  feeble 


EXPEDITION  AGAINST  THE  MORMONS   269 

assistance."  *  At  last,  in  the  spring  of  1858,  he  was  free  to 
go.  He  had  waited  ten  years  for  permission  to  rejoin  his 
neophytes  and  carry  to  them  the  light  of  faith  and  the 
blessing  of  peace. 

Before  going  to  Oregon,  Father  De  Smet  accompanied  a 
Government  expedition  against  the  Mormons.  Driven 
first  from  Illinois,  then  from  Missouri,  because  of  their 
low  morals,  the  Latter  Day  Saints  retired  in  1847  to  Salt 
Lake,  a  town  situated  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. * 
The  head  of  the  sect,  Brigham  Young,  exercising  autocratic 
authority  over  his  followers,  aspired  to  establish  Mor- 
monism  throughout  the  entire  American  Continent.  Oc- 
cupying the  post  of  Governor  of  Utah  Territory,  he  de- 
clared his  independence  of  the  Federal  Government. 
From  his  "New  Jerusalem"  the  prophet  defied  the  Presi- 
dent in  Washington.  Government  officials  were  forced  to 
leave  the  State,  or  forbidden  to  exercise  their  functions. 
Congress  appointed  a  new  Governor  of  Utah,  who  set  out 
in  the  autumn  of  1857  with  an  escort  of  three  thousand 
soldiers  to  enforce  his  authority.  Brigham  Young  lay  in 
wait  for  the  enemy,  and  surprising  a  convoy  of  foodstuff, 
burned  the  wagons  and  made  off  with  the  beeves,  horses, 
and  mules,  leaving  the  small  army  destitute  in  the  heart  of 
the  desert. 

This  news  decided  the  Government  to  send  a  second 
expedition  in  the  spring,  commanded  by  General  Harney, 
a  well-known  Indian  fighter,  who  had  suppressed  the 
Indian  uprisings  in  Florida,  Texas,  and  New  Mexico. 
Prudent  and  energetic,  he  was  the  man  eminently  fitted 
to  undertake  the  subjection  of  the  Mormons.     Before  en- 

1  Letter  to  Gustave  Van  Kerckhove,  St.  Louis,  July  25,  1857. 

2  Father  De  Smet  knew  the  Mormon  country.  "  In  the  autumn  of  1846," 
he  wrote,  "on  approaching  the  Missouri  border,  I  found  an  advance-guard 
of  about  ten  thousand  Mormons  camped  upon  the  Omahas'  lands,  not  far 
from  old  Council  Bluffs.  The  sect  had,  for  the  second  time,  been  driven  out 
of  one  of  the  States  of  the  Union.  Their  intention  was  to  winter  in  the 
great  desert,  and  penetrate  further  into  the  interior  to  escape  their  perse- 
cutors, but  the  place  of  residence  was  not  yet  decided  upon.  They  plied 
me  with  questions  about  the  regions  I  had  traversed.  My  accounts  of  the 
villages  in  Utah  pleased  them  greatly.  Did  this  determine  them  to  select 
Salt  Lake?  I  cannot  say."  (Letter  to  Charles  De  Smet,  St.  Louis,  March 
10,   1851.) 


270    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

tering  upon  the  campaign,  the  General,  wishing  to  assure 
religious  ministrations  to  his  soldiers,  of  whom  three- 
quarters  were  Catholics,  asked  to  have  Father  De  Smet 
appointed  chaplain. 

On  May  13,  1858,  our  missionary  received  his  official 
appointment  from  the  Secretary  of  War,  which  read  as 
follows : 

"It  is  the  President's  intention  to  attach  you  to  the 
army  of  Utah  in  the  capacity  of  chaplain,  in  the  belief 
that  in  this  position  you  will  render  important  services  to 
the  country.  The  President  himself  charges  me  to  express 
to  you  his  desire,  in  the  hope  that  this  charge  will  neither 
be  incompatible  with  your  ecclesiastical  duties,  nor  against 
your  own  inclination."  Father  De  Smet,  hoping  to  com- 
bine a  visit  to  the  Oregon  tribes  with  this  journey,  sub- 
mitted the  proposition  to  his  Superior.  The  Provincial 
advised  him  to  accept,  and  a  few  days  later  the  new  chap- 
lain left  St.  Louis  to  join  the  army  at  Fort  Leavenworth, 
Kansas. 

General  Harney  received  the  missionary  courteously, 
assuring  him  that  every  facility  would  be  given  him  for 
exercising  his  ministry.  "He  kept  his  word  loyally," 
writes  Father  De  Smet,  "and  his  officers  imitated  his 
example.  The  soldiers  were  allowed  to  come  to  my  tent 
for  instructions  and  confession.  Often  at  daybreak  I  had 
the  consolation  of  celebrating  the  Holy  Sacrifice,  and  of 
seeing  a  goodly  number  of  soldiers  approach  the  holy 
table."3 

Although  forming  a  part  of  the  army  of  Utah,  the 
missionary  had  opportunity  of  ministering  to  the  Indians 
through  whose  country  he  passed.  He  gave  several  in- 
structions to  the  Pawnees,  Sioux,  and  Cheyennes,  and 
baptized  many  children.  In  going  up  the  Nebraska  they 
met  bands  of  Mormons  en  route  for  Kansas  and  Missouri, 
who  expressed  their  joy  at  escaping  from  the  despotism  of 
Brigham  Young.  General  Harney  was  informed  by  them 
that  many  others  had  decided  to  renounce  the  sect.  This 
news  encouraged  the  General  in  expecting  a  speedy  sub- 
jugation of  the  country.  Some  days  later,  in  fact,  came 
the  news  that  the  Mormons  would  offer  no  resistance. 

3  Letter  to  the  Father  General,  St.  Louis,  Nov.  1,  1859. 


EXPEDITION  AGAINST  THE  MORMONS    271 

The  new  Governor  had  been  installed  and  his  authority- 
recognized  by  the  people.  General  Harney  then  received 
orders  to  return  East  with  his  troops.  Judging  his  mission 
at  an  end,  Father  De  Smet,  upon  his  return  to  St.  Louis, 
offered  his  resignation  as  chaplain  to  the  Secretary  of  War, 
but  as  new  difficulties  were  then  threatening  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  his  resignation  was  not  accepted. 

For  fifteen  years  the  Oregon  tribes  had  lived  peacefully 
and  happily  under  the  watchful  eyes  of  the  missionaries. 
Great  numbers  of  Indians  had  received  baptism.  All  were 
taught  agriculture;  the  harvests  were  abundant;  the 
mills  worked  regularly;  and  new  ground  for  cultivation 
was  being  broken  continually.  When,  in  1854,  the  Gov- 
ernment agents  penetrated  to  the  mountain  tribes,  they 
marveled  at  the  results  obtained,  and  were  loud  in  their 
praise  of  the  bravery,  piety,  honesty,  intelligence,  and  in- 
dustry of  the  new  Christians.  ' '  I  could  hardly  believe  my 
eyes,"  said  one  of  them.  "I  asked  myself  'Am  I  among 
the  Indians — among  people  the  world  calls  savages?'"4 
Knowing  the  former  abject  condition  of  the  tribes,  they 
voiced  their  admiration  in  the  following  words:  "Thanks 
to  the  untiring  labors  of  the  missionaries,  the  Indians  have 
made  great  progress  in  agriculture.  They  are  being  in- 
structed in  the  Christian  religion;  they  have  abandoned 
polygamy,  are  pure  in  morals,  and  edifying  in  conduct. 
The  work  of  these  Fathers  is  truly  marvelous."5 

This  testimony  from  Protestant  pens  permits  us  to 
realize,  faintly,  what  the  Indians  might  have  become  if  the 
United  States  had  left  to  the  Catholics  the  task  of  civiliz- 
ing them,  instead  of  following  a  policy  of  extermination. 
But  the  missionaries  were  not  destined  to  reap  the  fruits 
of  their  labors.  The  same  combination  of  circumstances 
that  brought  about  the  closing  of  St.  Mary's  in  1850  would, 
several  years  later,  imperil  the  other  "reductions." 

Since  the  discovery  of  gold,  the  white  man  had  invaded 
the  West.     ' '  Imagine, "  writes  Father  De  Smet,  ' '  thousands 

4  See  Selected  Letters,  2d  Series,  pp.  206-217.  Long  extracts  of  reports 
sent  by  Governor  Stevens  to  the  President. 

5  Lieutenant  Mullan,  "Explorations  from  the  Mississippi  River  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean."     Vol.  I,  p.  308. 


272     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

of  adventurers  from  every  country;  deserters,  thieves, 
murderers,  the  scum  of  the  United  States,  Mexico,  Peru, 
Chili,  and  the  Sandwich  Islands,  living  together,  free  of 
all  law  and  restraint."  6  From  California  this  gold-seeking 
army  spread  to  the  territories  of  Oregon  and  Washington. 
In  defiance  of  all  law  they  drove  out  the  natives,  forcing 
them  to  seek  refuge  in  the  mountains.  There  is  no  darker 
page  in  history  than  the  story  of  the  "White  Conquest."  7 
In  exchange  for  their  lands,  horses,  and  furs,  the  whites 
gave  whiskey  to  the  Indians.  Drink  being  the  passion  of 
the  race,  they  eagerly  seized  upon  the  fatal  liquor.  We 
remember  the  drunken  orgies  of  the  Potawatomies;  the 
same  scenes  were  now  enacted  in  Oregon  and  California. 
Men  slaughtered  each  other  by  the  hundreds,  and  the 
women  and  children  dragged  themselves  like  animals 
around  their  wigwams. 

Yet  fatal  as  was  the  effect  of  alcohol,  its  action  was  too 
slow  to  satisfy  the  invaders.  They  concluded  that  the 
revolver  was  more  expeditious  than  whiskey,  and  offered 
twenty  dollars  for  every  Indian  scalp.  Men  killed  as  a 
training  in  marksmanship,  and  to  try  their  weapons. 
What  value  had  an  Indian's  life,  when  that  of  the  white 
man  was  held  so  lightly  ? 

Yet  still  more  revolting  machinations  were  resorted  to. 
Arsenic  was  mixed  with  the  flour  and  sugar  sold  to  the 
Indians ;  their  springs,  from  which  they  obtained  drinking- 
water,  were  poisoned  with  strychnine,  and  clothing  reeking 
with  infection  was  given  to  them.  "The  following,"  says 
a  missionary,  "was  told  me  by  an  eye-witness.  It  hap- 
pened on  the  Pacific  coast.  The  whites  had  decided  to 
destroy  an  Indian  camp,  and  to  accomplish  their  fell 
purpose  they  hung  from  a  tree  in  front  of  the  camp  the 
clothing  of  a  man  who  had  just  died  from  small-pox. 
The  Indians,  catching  sight  of  the  garments,  were  en- 
chanted, and  proceeded  to  don  them  at  once.  Before  long 
this  terrible  malady  appeared,  and  of  several  hundred 
Indians,  only  a  dozen  poor  wretches  remained  to  weep  over 

6  Letter  to  his  brother  Charles,  St.  Louis,  April  26,  1849. 

7  "It  would  require  a  volume  to  recount  the  injustice,  brutality,  and 
murders  committed  in  the  last  thirty  years  upon  the  Pacific  coast,  the  details 
of  which  are  too  horrible  to  be  believed."  Helen  Hunt  Jackson,  "A  Century 
of  Dishonor,''  p.  337. 


EXPEDITION  AGAINST  THE  MORMONS    273 

the  ravages  wrought  by  the  disease."  8  If  to  these  de- 
structive causes  are  added  the  evils  engendered  by  the  im- 
morality of  the  whites,  one  readily  understands  how  the 
Indian  population  in  California  fell  in  ten  years  from 
100,000  to  30,000  souls. 

Reascending  the  valley  of  the  Columbia,  the  gold- 
seekers  occupied  the  lands  of  the  Cayuses,  Walla  Wallas, 
Nez  Perces,  Yakimas,  and  Spokanes.  The  "reductions" 
were  threatened.  What  then  would  become  of  Father 
De  Smet's  work?  The  St.  Paul-Colville  Mission,  founded 
for  the  Chaudieres  in  1845,  nad  rapidly  developed  under 
Father  De  Vos'  direction.  It  counted  at  least  a  thousand 
baptized  Indians,  all  faithful  to  religious  practices.  After 
1855  the  aspect  of  things  changed.  The  whites  seized 
the  lands  under  cultivation,  and  the  villages,  given  over 
to  debauchery  and  drunkenness,  became  theaters  of  the 
worst  excesses. 

Father  Vercruysse,  who  had  labored  six  years  in  Colville, 
wrote  in  1857,  "Since  these  hordes  of  foreigners  have 
arrived  in  search  of  gold  the  Indian  is  no  longer  the  same 
man.  Demoralized  by  bad  language  and  bad  example, 
they  no  longer  heed  us.  Gambling,  stealing,  illicit  dealings, 
divorce,  and  sorcery  have  again  begun  and  reduced  them 
to  the  condition  they  were  in  before  the  arrival  of  the 
Fathers.  Their  sole  means  of  salvation  lies  in  separating 
them  from  the  whites."  9  "The  Indians  are  not  innately 
wicked,"  adds  the  missionary,  "only  frivolous  and  stupid. 
They  are  kind-hearted,  and  if  left  to  our  care  and  influence 
would  be  angels."  10 

For  three  years  Fathers  Vercruysse  and  Ravalli  con- 
tended with  the  invaders  for  the  souls  of  their  neophytes. 
"For  the  love  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  the  Indians, 
I  am  happy  to  be  here,  otherwise  a  day  seems  a  cen- 
tury." 

Finally,  at  the  close  of  the  year  1858,  the  mission  was 
abandoned,  and  the  Fathers,  with  a  few  remaining  Chris- 

8  Article  by  Father  de  Rouge  in  Les  Etudes,  1890,  Vol.  I,  p.  492.  "It  is 
certain  that  the  whites  sought  to  poison  all  the  Indian  tribes,  and  I  have 
heard  them  discussing  which  method  would  be  the  best."  Julius  Froebel, 
quoted  by  Marshall,  "Christian  Missions,"  Vol.  II,  p.  438. 

9  Letter  to  Father  Broeckaert,  Colville,  Nov.  13,  1857. 

10  Ibid.,  June  13,  1859. 


274     THE  LIFE  0F  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

tians,  retired  to  the  Coeur  d'Alenes.  The  Sacred  Heart 
Mission,  in  charge  of  Father  Joset,  also  began  to  suffer 
from  the  proximity  of  the  emigrants.  Many  Christian 
Indians  fell  into  the  vice  of  gambling,  and  ceased  attend- 
ance at  church.  The  last  Easter  the  Fathers  were  there, 
only  half  of  the  tribe  approached  the  Sacraments.  "You 
told  us  the  religion  of  the  whites  would  make  us  better 
men,"  they  said  to  the  missionaries,  "yet  the  whites  we 
see  are  worse  than  we  are." 

The  Indians,  nevertheless,  struggled  against  the  in- 
vasion of  their  territory.  First  in  California  and  then  in 
Lower  Oregon  they  attempted  terrible  reprisals.  In  the 
endeavor  to  establish  peace,  the  Government  offered,  in 
1855,  to  buy  the  lands  lying  between  the  Willamette  and 
the  country  of  the  Blackfeet.  The  tribes  returning  to  the 
north  would  then  have  nothing  more  to  fear  from  the 
incursions  of  the  emigrants.  But  the  Indians  had  been 
too  often  deceived  to  believe  now  in  the  good  faith  of  the 
whites.  Far  from  accepting  the  proposition,  the  Cayuses, 
Yakimas,  Nez  Perces,  and  the  Palooses  excited  the  Oregon 
tribes  against  the  invaders.  Christian  Indians  who  de- 
murred to  take  up  arms  were  taunted  and  called  "women" 
and  "Little  dogs,  that  can  only  bark  when  danger  threat- 
ens." The  missionaries  were  denounced  as  enemies. 
"They  are  white,  like  the  Americans,"  said  the  chief  of  the 
Yakimas,  "and  all  are  alike." 

In  the  spring  of  1858  Colonel  Steptoe,  at  the  head  of  a 
company  of  cavalry,  arrived  in  Willamette  to  establish 
peace  around  Fort  Colville.  He  camped  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  Cceur  d'Alenes,  who,  judging  their  tribe 
threatened,  despite  Father  Joset's  protestations  to  the 
contrary,  deemed  the  moment  propitious  for  measuring 
their  strength  with  the  United  States.  Surprising  the 
small  command,  they  killed  two  officers  and  several  sol- 
diers. Inferior  in  numbers,  the  Americans  retired  pre- 
cipitately, abandoning  their  baggage  and  cannon.  The 
Indians,  carried  away  with  this  easy  victory,  thought 
themselves  invincible,  and  the  mountains  rang  with  their 
cries  and  threats  of  revenge. 

Determined  to  put  an  end  to  this  condition,  the  Federal 
Government  summoned  General  Harney,  who,  in  accepting 


FATHER    DE   SMET   RIDING   WITH   THE   INDIANS 


' 


PACIFICATION  OF  OREGON  275 

command  of  the  troops,  asked  once  more  to  have  Father 
De  Smet  appointed  chaplain.  Knowing  the  missionary's 
influence  over  the  Indians,  he  believed  his  mediation  would 
put  an  end  to  hostilities.  The  mission  was  a  delicate  one. 
What  would  the  Indians  think  when  they  saw  the  mis- 
sionary attached  to  the  army  that  had  come  to  make  war 
on  them?  But  peace  in  Oregon  meant  the  saving  of  the 
"reductions."  Trusting  in  God,  Father  De  Smet,  with 
the  consent  of  his  Superiors,  prepared  for  immediate  de- 
parture. 

In  order  to  avoid  crossing  the  wilderness,  General 
Harney  decided  to  go  across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and 
enter  Oregon  through  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia.  Leav- 
ing New  York  September  20th,  he  arrived  a  month  later 
at  Vancouver.  Upon  his  arrival,  the  General  heard,  to 
his  great  surprise,  that  peace  had  been  made.  Wishing  to 
avenge  Steptoe's  defeat,  Colonel  Wright  left  for  Walla 
Walla  the  end  of  August  and,  through  his  clever  tactics, 
routed  the  united  forces  of  the  Cceur  d'Alenes,  Spokanes, 
and  Kalispels  early  in  September.  Disconcerted  by  this 
prompt  reprisal,  the  tribes  were  ready  to  make  peace. 
They  gave  hostages,  and,  moreover,  surrendered  several 
Indians,  guilty  of  having  assassinated  Americans,  to  be 
hanged. 

The  Indians  were  vanquished,  but  not  reconciled. 
Neither  had  the  promises  of  the  victors  dispelled  mistrust 
nor  calmed  resentment.  Hence  it  was  imperative  to 
make  the  tribes  realize  that  they  must  submit,  and  effect 
a  friendly  understanding  with  the  Government  which  was 
prepared  to  guarantee  them  against  further  inroads  of 
emigrants.  Otherwise  the  war  could  at  any  moment 
break  out  again.  The  season  was  too  far  advanced  to 
permit  troops  to  set  out  for  the  mountains.  Father  De  Smet 
offered  to  go  alone  to  spend  the  winter  with  the  Indians 
and  consolidate  the  peace,  and  to  return  in  the  spring 
to  give  his  report  to  the  General. 

On  October  29th  Father  De  Smet  left  Vancouver. 
Four  hundred  miles  lay  between  him  and  the  nearest  mis- 
sion, that  of  the  Cceur  d'Alenes.  At  Fort  Walla  Walla 
he  met  the  hostages  taken   two   months   previously  by 


276    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Colonel  Wright.  "Fearing  they  were  in  danger  of  being 
corrupted,"  says  Father  Vercruysse,  "Father  De  Smet 
asked  that  the  Indians  might  be  allowed  to  return  with 
him  to  their  country.  'Impossible,'  replied  the  Colonel, 
'without  express  authorization  from  General  Harney.' 
'Very  good,'  said  Father  De  Smet.  T  will  answer  for  it 
that  you  will  not  be  reproved  by  him  for  acceding  to  my 
request.  I  know  well  the  Spokanes,  Cceur  d'Alenes,  and 
the  Kalispels.  They  are  my  children,  and  I  will  answer 
for  their  loyalty  with  my  head,  which  will  be  at  the  dis- 
position of  the  General  should  these  Indians  be  untrue 
to  their  word.'  The  Colonel  no  longer  opposed  the  de- 
parture of  the  hostages,  who  set  out  with  their  Father, 
happy  as  souls  escaping  from  limbo."  u 

This  arrangement  furnished  Father  De  Smet  with  guides 
and  traveling  companions,  and,  above  all,  assured  him 
a  welcome  from  the  tribes.  Arriving  at  the  Cceur  d'Alenes 
November  21st,  he  was  enthusiastically  welcomed  as  the 
friend,  father,  and  liberator  of  the  Indians.  After  an 
absence  of  twelve  years,  the  missionary  again  found  him- 
self in  the  midst  of  those  to  whom  he  had  given  the  light 
of  faith.  The  "reduction"  had  steadily  prospered,  pos- 
sessing now  a  beautiful  church,  comfortable  houses,  a  mill, 
workshops,  rich  pastures,  and  fields  of  prodigious  fertility. 
But  even  their  prosperity  was  a  menace,  for  the  whites 
began  to  covet  the  mission  lands.  The  thought  of  being 
obliged  to  one  day  leave  the  tombs  of  their  fathers  plunged 
the  Indians  into  black  despair.  Father  De  Smet  vigorously 
denounced  the  conduct  of  the  emigrants,  and  the  Christian 
Indians  promised  to  have  no  further  dealings  with  them. 
Moreover,  he  assured  the  Government  that  while  repress- 
ing the  violent  acts  of  the  Indians,  he  must  at  the  same 
time  defend  their  rights. 

To  recommence  hostilities  would  be  folly.  General 
Harney  informed  the  tribes  that  the  Government,  always 
generous  to  a  conquered  foe,  was  prepared,  nevertheless, 
to  protect  its  citizens  in  every  part  of  the  territory,  and 
that  entire  obedience  to  the  Government  would  be  their 
only  safeguard.  The  troops  they  had  attacked  the  previ- 
ous autumn  were  still  in  Oregon,  and  at  the  slightest  sign 

11  Letter  to  Father  Broeckaert,  June  13,  1859. 


PACIFICATION  OF  OREGON  277 

of  rebellion  they  would  leave  for  the  mountains  with  orders 
to  show  no  quarter.12 

The  Coeur  d'Alenes,  it  will  be  remembered,  had  taken  up 
arms  only  at  the  instigation  of  the  pagan  tribes,  with  the 
sole  object  of  defending  their  lands.  Hence  they  were 
easily  brought  to  terms  of  peace.  But  Father  De  Smet 
looked  to  religion  as  the  sole  means  of  subduing  the  cruel 
instincts  of  the  Indians.  The  three  months  he  spent  at 
the  mission  were  consecrated,  in  a  large  part,  to  instructing 
the  neophytes,  and  in  bringing  back  to  Christian  practices 
those  who  were  led  away  through  contact  with  the  whites. 

"I  sang  midnight  Mass  on  Christmas,"  he  writes. 
"The  Indians — men,  women,  and  children — chanted  the 
Vivat  Jesus,  the  Gloria,  and  the  Credo,  and  sang  hymns  in 
their  native  tongue  in  perfect  accord.  I  cannot  express  the 
joy  and  consolation  this  solemnity  occasioned  me  in  the 
vasts  of  the  desert.  It  reminded  me  of  the  reunions  of  the 
early  Christians,  who  were  of  one  mind  and  one  soul. 
Eight  days  before  Christmas  the  Indians  began  their 
preparation  for  confession,  and  all,  with  few  exceptions, 
approached  the  holy  table.  Such  occasions  are  not  for- 
gotten, and  the  memory  of  this  feast  will  remain  one  of  the 
most  agreeable  of  my  life."  13 

Impatient  to  visit  the  other  tribes,  Father  De  Smet 
departed  the  middle  of  February  for  St.  Ignatius'  Mission.14 
A  severe  winter  rendered  the  journey  a  perilous  one. 
Shooting  the  rapids  in  the  Clarke  River  in  a  frail  canoe 
was  attended  with  grave  dangers,  but  the  joy  of  seeing  his 
neophytes  again,  and  the  hope  of  effecting  peace,  rendered 
him  indifferent  to  fatigue  and  danger.  Finally  the  mis- 
sionary arrived  at  the  Kalispels,  who  received  him  with 
joyful  demonstrations  befitting  the  Black  Robe  who  had 
been  the  first  to  give  them  the  knowledge  of  the  Master 
of  life.  This,  the  most  prosperous  of  the  Oregon  Missions, 
counted  two  thousand  Christian  Indians.  Less  exposed  to 
contact  with  the  whites  than  the  St.  Paul  or  Sacred  Heart 
missions,    this   tribe,    under   Father   Hoecken's   watchful 

12  Quoted  from  Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  1572. 

13  Letter  to  the  Father  General,  St.  Louis,  Nov.  1,  1859. 

14  This  "reduction,"  founded  fifteen  years  before,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Clarke  River,  was  transferred  in  1854  to  a  more  favorable  situation  some 
miles  north  of  St.  Mary's,  and  became  part  of  St.  Francis  Borgia's  Mission. 


278     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

care,  still  adhered  to  its  first  fervor.  Shortly  after  Father 
De  Smet's  arrival  the  Kootenai s  appeared,  having  traveled 
for  days  through  the  deep  snow  to  come  and  shake  the 
missionary's  hand  and  assure  him  of  their  fidelity  to  his 
teachings.  Only  the  Flatheads  now  remained.  Despite 
the  sorrow  of  finding  everything  in  ruins,  Father  De  Smet 
wished  to  see  once  more  the  old  and  ever  dear  St.  Mary's 
Mission. 

The  passion  for  gambling  had  evidently  brought  about 
grave  disorders,  but  the  evil  was  not  irreparable.  The  old 
Indians  deplored  the  blindness  of  the  tribe,  and  all  ar- 
dently desired  the  return  of  the  missionaries.  The  chief 
had  traversed  Oregon  in  search  of  Father  Mengarini. 
The  year  before,  upon  the  occasion  of  a  visit  of  one  of  the 
Fathers  from  St.  Ignatius,  the  greater  number  had  ap- 
proached the  Sacraments,  and  began  again  to  say  their 
prayers. 

Following  the  example  of  the  Cceur  d'Alenes,  the  other 
Christian  tribes  promised  not  to  begin  war.  The  Flat- 
heads  and  Kalispels  boasted  of  never  having  spilled  the 
blood  of  the  white  man,  and  of  having  entered  the  coalition 
solely  for  the  defence  of  their  rights. 

The  pacifier  encountered  greater  opposition  from  the 
pagan  tribes,  but  Father  De  Smet's  uprightness  and 
touching  kindness  so  influenced  the  Indians,  that  he  suc- 
ceeded in  modifying  their  defiant  attitude.  The  Spokanes, 
Yakimas,  Palooses,  Okinagans,  and  the  Chaudieres  prom- 
ised to  accept  the  Government's  conditions.  On  April  16, 
1859,  the  missionary  started  for  Vancouver  accompanied 
by  nine  Indian  chiefs,  delegated  by  their  respective  tribes 
to  sign  a  treaty  of  peace  with  the  agents  of  the  Republic. 
Alone  and  unarmed,  a  Jesuit  priest  had  been  able  to  do 
more  to  restore  peace  in  the  country  than  the  American 
troops. 

Father  De  Smet's  efforts  in  behalf  of  peace  were  crowned 
with  success,  but  the  journey  had  been  a  most  difficult  one. 
It  required  more  than  a  month's  travel  to  reach  general 
headquarters.  "We  ran  many  dangers  by  reason  of  deep 
snows  and  high  waters.  For  ten  days  we  steadily  hacked 
our  way  through  dense  forests  where  the  ground  was  en- 
cumbered with  thousands  of  fallen  trees  blown  down  by 


PACIFICATION  OF  OREGON  279 

tempests  and  covered  with  a  blanket  of  snow  from  six 
to  eight  feet  deep.  I  fell  with  my  horse  many  times  a  day, 
but  apart  from  some  bruises  I  came  forth  safe  and  sound 
in  limb  from  this  awful  journey."  15 

The  chiefs  finally  arrived  at  headquarters,  where  they 
were  ushered  into  the  presence  of  General  Harney  and  the 
Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs.  They  renewed  their 
assurances  of  submission,  asked  for  the  friendship  of  the 
Americans,  and  expressed  regret  for  the  blindness  that  had 
led  them  to  taking  up  arms.  They  promised,  moreover, 
that  no  further  molestations  would  be  made  upon  the 
whites  crossing  their  lands,  if  the  Government  in  turn 
would  consent  to  give  the  Indians  "reserves,"  and  engage 
itself  to  protect  them. 

Such  dispositions  won  for  the  Indians  a  cordial  reception 
from  the  General.  He  gave  them  presents,  and  promised 
them  the  protection  of  the  United  States.  Nor  did  he  de- 
lay in  informing  the  Government  of  the  important  services 
rendered  by  Father  De  Smet  to  the  army.  "I  am  con- 
vinced that  with  prudence  we  have  nothing  further  to  fear 
from  a  serious  outbreak  in  this  country."  16 

Not  content  with  negotiating  peace,  Father  De  Smet 
labored  to  prevent  future  conflicts,  and  to  accomplish 
this  he  saw  no  other  means  save  to  cut  off  the  savage  from 
all  contact  with  the  white.  In  an  interesting  report  he 
exposes  his  plan  to  General  Harney.  "The  United  States 
was  to  cede  to  the  Indians  '  reserves '  comprising  the  country 
lying  between  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  Bitter  Root 
Mountains,  and  the  Kootenais  River,  where,  under  direction 
of  the  missionaries  and  Government  protection,  would  be 
assembled  all  the  tribes  scattered  over  the  territories  of 
Oregon  and  Washington."  17 

Impressed  by  the  advantage  this  project  offered,  the 
General  communicated  the  proposition  to  the  Secretary 
of  War.  "The  region  in  question,"  he  said,  "will  not 
be  occupied  by  the  white  man  for  at  least  twenty  years; 
it  is  difficult  of  access  and  does  not  offer  the  colonists  the 
advantages  they  find  everywhere  on  the  coast.    The  system 

15  Letter  to  the  Father  General,  Nov.  I,  1859. 

16  Quoted  from  Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  1576. 

17  Ibid.,  p.  970  et  seq. 


28o     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

in  use  in  California  of  gathering  into  one  'reserve'  large 
numbers  of  Indians  and  of  forcing  them  to  adopt  imme- 
diately the  habits  of  the  white  man,  has  failed  because  of 
the  too  sudden  transition  imposed  upon  the  primitive  and 
rebellious  tribes.  Father  De  Smet's  plan  avoids  this  dis- 
advantage. He  would  place  the  Indians  in  a  country 
abounding  with  game  and  fish,  and  where  there  is  sufficient 
agricultural  land  to  encourage  tilling  the  soil.  The  mis- 
sionaries in  charge  possess  complete  authority  over  the 
tribes,  and,  enjoying  their  full  confidence,  would  lead  them 
gradually  to  accept  the  exigencies  of  civilization,  when 
the  inevitable  decree  of  time  shall  bring  the  onward  march 
of  progress  to  their  door. 

"The  history  of  the  Indian  race  on  our  continent  shows 
that  the  missionaries  succeeded  when  military  and  civil 
authorities  failed.  In  an  affair  that  affects  the  white  man 
not  less  than  the  Indian,  it  would  be  wisdom  to  profit  by 
the  lessons  of  experience,  and  adopt  Father  De  Smet's 
plan."18  The  Government,  unfortunately,  thought  other- 
wise. Nevertheless,  General  Harney  must  be  given  credit 
for  having  tried  to  turn  to  account  wise  and  humanitarian 
counsels. 

Father  De  Smet's  mission  was  now  finished.  Wishing  to 
see  once  again  the  mountain  stations,  and  to  visit  the 
Missouri  tribes,  he  obtained  permission  from  his  Superior 
to  return  to  St.  Louis  overland.  On  June  15th  he  left 
Vancouver  with  an  escort  of  Indian  chiefs  returning  to 
their  respective  countries.  Some  months  later  he  received 
the  following  lines  from  Alfred  Pleasonton,  an  officer  in 
the  army  of  Oregon: 

"My  dear  Father:  We  all  deplore  your  departure.  I 
have  yet  to  meet  an  officer  who  does  not  express  his  regret. 
To  you  we  owe  the  good  understanding  that  now  exists 
between  the  whites  and  the  Indians.  The  General  asks  me 
to  express  to  you  his  sincere  gratitude  for  the  valuable 
services  you  rendered  the  country  during  your  sojourn 
here.  He  wishes  to  renew  to  you  his  assurances  of  high 
regard  and  lasting  friendship.  As  for  myself,  I  am  conscious 
of  my  loss  in  this  separation.  Your  goodness  and  kindness 
impressed  me  greatly,  and  helped  me  to  conquer  my  own 

18  Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  1579. 


CONDITION  OF  THE  MISSIONS  281 

intractable  nature.  Be  my  friend,  I  beg  of  you,  and  help 
me  to  acquire  the  priceless  blessings  that  religion  and 
virtue  offer."  19 

The  author  of  this  letter  became  one  of  the  leading 
generals  in  the  United  States  army,  and  this  testimony 
proves  that  Father  De  Smet  had  rilled  worthily  his  office 
of  chaplain. 

The  Rocky  Mountain  Mission,  as  we  have  seen  in  the 
preceding  pages,  had  been  attached  since  1854  to  the  Turin 
Province.  Notwithstanding  this,  the  Fathers  in  Oregon 
continued  to  regard  Father  De  Smet  as  the  main  support  of 
the  "reduction."  He  collected  funds,  and  sent  yearly  from 
St.  Louis  ample  provisions  of  foodstuff,  clothing,  grain, 
farm  implements,  and  tools.  He  obtained  authorizations 
and  subsidies  from  the  Government,  and  he  never  left 
Europe  without  bringing  back  with  him  several  mission- 
aries. Unceasingly  he  recommended  his  "poor  children  of 
the  desert "  to  the  solicitude  of  the  Father  General. 

Profiting  by  his  presence  in  the  country,  Father  Con- 
giato,  Superior  of  the  missions,  sought  his  advice.  Since 
the  abandonment  of  the  St.  Mary's  and  the  St.  Paul- 
Colville  Missions,  the  Jesuits  had  but  two  "reductions" 
in  Oregon — the  Cceur  ■  d'Alenes  and  the  Kalispels.  It 
was  deemed  wise  to  reconstruct  the  ruined  missions, 
profiting  by  the  good  dispositions  of  the  Indians,  if  possi- 
ble also  to  establish  new  posts.  Like  the  Flatheads,  the 
Chaudieres  regretted  the  departure  of  the  missionaries. 
"Black  Robe,"  they  said,  "we  wish  to  be  good,  and  do 
the  will  of  the  Great  Spirit.  But  see  how  exposed  we  are! 
The  whites  are  daily  becoming  more  numerous  in  our  coun- 
try; they  offer  us  whiskey,  and  say  we  are  not  forbidden 
to  drink  it.  Before  their  arrival  we  found  no  difficulty  in 
being  good;   to-day  all  is  changed." 

In  answer  to  this  appeal  it  was  decided  that  Father 
Joset  should  leave  to  open  a  mission  at  Colville.  The 
Fathers  were  unable  to  take  immediate  possession  of  St. 
Mary's.     The  recently  founded  California  Mission20  had 

19  Fort  Vancouver,  Nov.  9,  1859. 

20  In  1849,  at  the  urgent  wish  of  the  Bishop  of  Monterey,  Fathers  Accolti 
and  Nobili  had  been  sent  to  California  to  look  after  the  Catholic  emigrants, 

19 


282    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

reduced  to  six  the  number  of  priests  laboring  in  the  moun- 
tains. Notwithstanding  this  the  Flatheads  were  not  aban- 
doned. Several  times  a  year  the  missionaries  from  St. 
Ignatius'  went  to  instruct  them  and  administer  the  Sacra- 
ments. 

Of  all  the  Indian  tribes,  the  Kootenais  were  the  most 
interesting.  "In  this  tribe,"  writes  Father  De  Smet, 
"evangelical  fraternity,  simplicity,  innocence,  and  peace 
reign.  Their  honesty  is  so  well  known  that  a  merchant 
can  absent  himself  for  a  week  at  a  time  and  leave  his  store 
open.  During  his  absence  the  Indians  enter,  take  what  they 
want,  and  upon  the  proprietor's  return  he  is  faithfully 
paid.  One  of  the  storekeepers  assured  me  that  he  had  never 
missed  the  value  of  a  pin."  21 

The  Kootenais  built  a  church  with  their  own  hands  in 
which  they  assembled  night  and  day  for  prayers.  Two 
or  three  times  a  year  they  received  a  visit  from  the  mis- 
sionary. At  Easter  and  the  principal  feasts  the  tribe 
repaired  to  St.  Ignatius'  to  receive  the  Sacraments  and 
devoted  several  days  to  religious  exercises. 

East  of  the  mountains,  Father  Hoecken  was  preparing 
to  found  a  mission  for  the  Blackfeet,  who,  since  the  Gospel 
had  been  preached  to  them,  had  ceased  molesting  the 
Oregon  tribes.  Still,  the  missionaries  feared  that  their 
savage  instincts  might  reawaken.  The  Father  General 
finally  acceded  to  Father  De  Smet's  insistent  supplications, 
and  allowed  him  to  take  up  Father  Point's  work.  In  a 
few  months  St.  Peter's  Mission  near  the  Sun  River  counted 
one  hundred  neophytes.  Peace  now  seemed  firmly  estab- 
lished. The  "reductions"  were  again  prospering,  and 
Father  De  Smet  decided  to  return  to  St.  Louis. 

Father  Congiato  accompanied  him  to  the  Oregon  bor- 
der, and  this  journey  enabled  him  to  see  for  himself  and 
admire  Father  De  Smet's  relations  with  the  Indians. 
"Never  shall  I  forget  the  happiness  I  experienced  during 
the  journey  I  made  with  Father  De  Smet  to  the  different 
tribes.     With  my  own  eyes  I  saw  the  respect,  love,  and 

and  were  soon  joined  by  Fathers  De  Vos  and  Mengarini.     They  founded 
large  missions  at  San  Francisco,  Santa  Clara,  and  San  Jose\     The  Mission 
definitely  constituted  in  1854  was  later  detached  from  the  Oregon  Mission. 
21  Letter  to  the  Father  General,  Nov.  1,  1859. 


CONDITION  OF  THE  MISSIONS  283 

esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  the  Indians,  and  which  he 
richly  deserves.  One  cannot  fail  to  be  touched  by  his  char- 
ity and  his  tenderness  for  a  race  universally  despised  and 
persecuted.  The  Indians  call  him  their  father,  but  his 
feelings  for  them  are  more  those  of  a  mother."22 

It  was  no  easy  task  in  those  days  to  cross  the  mountains 
that  separated  the  Sacred  Heart  Mission  from  that  of 
St.  Ignatius.  "Imagine  a  dense  virgin  forest,  the  ground 
strewn  with  thousands  of  uprooted  trees.  The  paths  are 
hidden  and  obstructed  by  these  barricades  that  imperil  the 
life  of  horse  and  rider  at  every  step.  Two  large  streams 
wind  through  the  forest,  whose  beds  are  formed  of  boulders 
of  fallen  rock  and  glistening  stones  deposited  by  the  rush- 
ing water.  The  path  crosses  the  first  of  these  streams 
thirty-nine  times,  the  other  thirty-two  times.  Often  my 
horse  stood  in  water  to  his  breast  and  at  times  even  over 
the  saddle,  but  one  is  lucky  to  escape  with  only  soaked 
legs.  A  mountain  of  5,000  feet  lies  between  the  two 
rivers,  with  here  and  there  vast  plateaux  covered  with 
eight  feet  of  snow.  After  eight  hours  of  hard  climbing 
we  arrived  in  a  flowering  plain,  where,  sixteen  years 
before,  during  my  first  journey,  a  cross  had  been  erected,  j 
This  beautiful  spot  tempted  me  to  pitch  our  camp;  but 
Father  Congiato,  convinced  that  a  two  hours'  walk  would 
bring  us  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  advised  us  to  push  on. 

"The  two  hours  passed,  then  four  hours,  and  night 
overtook  us  in  the  midst  of  a  thousand  difficulties.  Mounds 
of  snow  and  barricades  of  fallen  trees  were  again  en- 
countered; at  times  we  were  obliged  to  creep  along  the 
edge  of  pointed  rocks  and  down  almost  perpendicular 
inclines.  The  least  false  step  would  have  precipitated 
us  God  knows  where.  In  pitch-black  darkness,  without  a 
guide,  and  off  the  path,  we  fell  time  and  again,  groping 
our  way  on  all-fours  and  then  rolling  down  the  declivity. 
At  last  the  roar  of  the  stream  we  were  seeking  was  heard 
in  the  distance,  and  each  of  us  directed  his  steps  in  that 
direction.  About  midnight  we  came  straggling  in  in  a 
state  of  exhaustion,  after  a  sixteen  hours'  march,  our 
clothes  in  ribbons.  We  were  bruised  and  cut  all  over, 
but  had  no  serious  injuries. 

^Letter  of  Jan.  20,  i860;   published  in  the  San  Francisco  Monitor. 


284     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

"The  evening  meal  was  hastily  prepared,  and  each  one 
recited  his  troubles  and  experiences  to  the  great  amuse- 
ment of  the  entire  camp.  The  excellent  Father  Congiato 
admitted  he  had  miscalculated  the  distance  and  was  the 
first  to  laugh  heartily  over  the  adventure."  23 

Father  De  Smet  undoubtedly  possessed  a  cheerful  na- 
ture and  robust  health.  The  unexpected  in  his  travels 
never  annoyed  or  disconcerted  him,  but  nothing  short  of 
his  love  for  the  Indians  could  have  induced  him,  at  fifty- 
eight  years  of  age,  to  face  such  hardships  and  adventures. 

At  Fort  Benton  he  and  Father  Congiato  separated.  In 
the  hope  of  meeting  an  even  greater  number  of  the  tribes, 
he  wished  to  make  the  long  journey  to  St.  Louis  on  horse- 
back, but  finding  that  his  six  horses  were  exhausted,  and 
their  unshod  hoofs  worn  down  by  the  stones  and  rocks  of 
the  mountain  roads,  he  was  forced  to  abandon  the  project. 
A  skiff  was  hastily  constructed,  three  rowers  and  a  pilot 
were  engaged,  and  on  August  5th  he  embarked  on  the 
Missouri  River  for  St.  Louis. 

"We  slept  in  the  open,"  he  writes,  "or  under  a  little 
tent,  at  times  on  a  sand-bar  or  again  on  the  edge  of  the 
plains  or  in  the  forest.  Wolves,  bears,  and  wildcats 
howled  in  the  distance,  but  we  were  undismayed,  'for  God 
has  implanted  the  fear  of  men  in  all  animals.' 24 

"In  the  desert,  we  wondered  at  the  paternal  Providence 
of  God  and  were  filled  with  sentiments  of  gratitude  over 
His  wonderful  provision  for  the  needs  of  His  children. 
Food  was  not  lacking;  we  even  lived  in  abundance.  The 
river  provided  us  with  excellent  fish,  water-hens,  ducks, 
bustards,  and  swans;  the  forest  yielded  fruits  and  nuts, 
and  game  was  not  lacking.  Herds  of  buffalo  roamed 
the  plains,  and  roebuck,  venison,  young  kids,  big-horns, 
pheasants,  partridges,  and  wild  turkeys  abounded."25 

On  the  way  Father  De  Smet  met  thousands  of  Indians: 
Assiniboins,  Crows,  Mandans,  Grosventres,  Sioux,  etc. 
He  remained  two  or  three  days  with  each  tribe,  baptizing 
•the  children,  instructing  adults,  comforting  the  dying,  and, 

23  Letter  from  Father  De  Smet  to  the  Father  General,  Nov.  1,  1859. 
44  Terror  tester  ac  tremor  sit  super  cuncta  aninialia  terra.    (Genesis,  ix,  2.) 
"Letter  to  Laura  Blondel,  wife  of  Charles  De  Smet,  St.  Louis,  Oct.  13, 
1859. 


CONDITION  OF  THE  MISSIONS  285 

incidentally,  looking  about  with  the  object  of  establishing 
missions.  Everywhere  he  was  cordially  received.  The 
Missouri  River  Indians  had  long  wished  for  a  Black 
Robe,  and  Father  De  Smet  promised  to  support  their 
petition  with  his  Superiors  and  to  come  himself  to  visit 
them. 

After  traveling  several  hundred  leagues  in  his  skiff  the 
missionary  went  aboard  a  steamboat,  and  six  days  later, 
on  September  23d,  arrived  in  St.  Louis.  "To  God  alone 
be  all  the  glory,"  he  writes,  "and  to  the  Blessed  Virgin 
my  humble  and  profound  gratitude  for  the  blessings  and 
protection  accorded  me  during  this  journey !  My  greatest 
consolation  is  to  have  been  God's  instrument  of  salvation 
to  about  nine  hundred  dying  children  on  whom  I  conferred 
baptism;  many  of  these  seemed  but  to  await  this  grace 
before  winging  their  flight  to  heaven,  there  to  praise  God 
for  all  eternity."  26 

During  the  year  that  had  passed  the  missionary,  in  his 
various  journeys,  had  covered  about  fifteen  thousand  miles. 
26  Letter  to  the  Father  General,  Nov.  i,  1859. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

FAMILY   INTERCOURSE — JOURNEYS   TO    EUROPE    (1853-1860) 

"  The  Rule  of  St.  Ignatius  Does  Not  Forbid  Us  to  Love  Our  Family  " — 
Father  De  Smet's  Devotion  to  His  Family — He  Shared  in  All  Their  Joys 
and  Sorrows — Even  His  Letters  Are  an  Apostolate — His  Many  Journeys 
in  Belgium — Death  of  His  Brother  Charles — Father  De  Smet's  Con- 
ferences— His  Timidity — His  Tales — Impressions  of  a  Belgian  Semin- 
arian— Scenes  on  Board  the  Humboldt — Shipwreck — A  Sunrise  at  Sea — 
The  Missionary  Receives  an  Ovation  upon  His  Return  to  St.  Louis. 

NEITHER  his  long  journeys  nor  his  multiple  labors 
ever  altered  or  affected  Father  De  Smet's  intercourse 
with  his  family  and  friends  in  Belgium.  "Separation,"  he 
writes,  "even  when  voluntary  or,  rather,  when  imposed 
by  conscience  and  religion,  can  never  destroy  in  the  heart 
of  man  the  tenderness  engendered  by  memories  of  family 
and  country.  My  hair  may  turn  white,  my  sight  fail, 
my  strength  diminish,  but  my  affection  for  you  suffers  no 
change.  Every  day  at  the  altar  I  beg  the  help  and  pro- 
tection of  heaven  for  my  family.  All  I  ask  in  return  is 
that  you  will  keep  me  ever  in  your  affections,  and  that 
you  will  sometimes  pray  for  your  Uncle  Peter,  and  for 
the  conversion  of  his  poor  Indians."  x 

As  neither  age  nor  distance  affected  his  family  relations, 
neither  did  his  religious  life  render  him  indifferent  to  his 
people.  "Surely  the  rule  of  St.  Ignatius  does  not  forbid 
us  to  love  our  own,  and  I  must  say  that  Charles  has  always 
held  a  special  place  in  my  affections."  2  Should  any  of  his 
fellow-religious  refuse  to  their  families  the  consideration  he 
thought  due  them,  they  were  reproached  for  excessive 
severity.     "It  is  wrong  not  to  write  to  one's  relatives. 

1  Letter  to  his  nieces,  Sylvia,  Elmira,  and  Rosalie,  daughters  of  his  brother 
Charles,  St.  Louis,  April  22,  1853. 

2  Letter  to  Mr.  Blondel  of  Antwerp,  St.  Louis,  April  22,  1855.  Charles, 
the  eldest  son  of  Father  De  Smet's  brother  Francis,  had  just  married 
Mr.  Blondel's  daughter. 


FAMILY  INTERCOURSE  287 

Every  one  is  then  dissatisfied;  both  family  and  acquaint- 
ances." 3 

Father  De  Smet's  correspondence  shows  that  he  never 
neglected  any  of  his  family,  and  always  longed  to  have  news 
of  them.  "Write  me  often,  I  beg  you.  Tell  me  about 
your  good  wife,  and  your  dear  little  children,  about  your 
parents,  sisters,  'Monsieur  le  Cure,'  and  other  friends  and 
acquaintances.  Have  any  new  marriages  and  baptisms 
taken  place?  Believe  that  I  take  a  lively  interest  in  all  that 
concerns  the  happiness  of  the  family."  4 

To  Charles  his  nephew:  "I  want  to  remind  you  of  the 
solemn  compact  we  made  before  my  last  departure  from 
Belgium,  that  you  would  write  me  once  a  month,  and  I 
in  turn  would  say  Mass  for  your  intention  every  Saturday. 
I  can  assure  you  I  have  never  once  failed  in  my  promise. 
Write  me  then  at  once,  to  dispel  the  sadness  your  silence 
has  caused,  and  tell  your  brother  Paul  to  add  a  few  lines 
to  your  letter."5  In  return  he  promised  to  be  generous. 
' '  Why  does  Charles  delay  so  long  in  writing  to  me  ?  I  am 
quite  ready  to  write  twenty  lines  for  every  line  he  sends 
me."6 

In  order  to  keep  himself  fresh  in  their  memory  he  fre- 
quently sent  his  family  souvenirs  of  the  Far  West,  such  as 
richly  embroidered  moccasins,  soft  buffalo  robes,  and  suits 
made  of  deer-skin  embroidered  with  porcupine  quills. 
One  day  a  magnificent  map  of  the  United  States  arrived 
in  Termonde.  "Hang  this  map  in  a  conspicuous  place  in 
your  house,  and  now  and  then  glance  at  it.  You  will  be 
able  to  trace  the  countries  through  which  I  have  traveled 
in  my  journeys  from  New  Orleans  to  Halifax,  and  from 
Nova  Scotia  to  the  Athabasca  glaciers  north  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  Quietly  seated  in  your  chair,  you  can  follow 
me  through  the  seas,  prairies,  and  mountains  I  have 
traversed,  beset  with  innumerable  dangers;  in  steam- 
boats, bark  canoes,  on  horseback,  and  on  foot.  Thus 
you  will  often  think  of  me,  and  the  idea  of  writing  to  me 
will  oftener  occur  to  you."  7 

3  Letter  to  Father  Truyens,  St.  Louis,  Jan.  16,  1854. 

4  Letter  to  Gustave  Van  Kerckhove  of  Antwerp,  a  nephew  of  Father  De 
Smet  by  marriage,  St.  Louis,  July  3,  1856. 

6  Cincinnati,  Aug.  2,  1854.  6  To  his  brother  Francis. 

7  To  Charles  and  Rosalie  Van  Mossevelde,  Bardstown,  April  20,   1855. 


288     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

When  the  long-looked-for  letter  arrived,  the  happy- 
uncle  quickly  forgot  the  months  of  waiting.  But  not- 
withstanding his  impatience  for  news,  he  seems  always  to 
have  found  excuses  for  the  delinquent.  "A  little  negli- 
gence or  idleness  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  in  poor  human 
nature,  when  the  mind  is  filled  with  important  affairs. 
One  is  justified  in  putting  off  the  person  who  will  suffer 
the  least  from  the  delay."  8 

Those  who  accuse  the  religious  life  of  destroying  natural 
ties  could  read  Father  De  Smet's  letters  with  profit. 
Never  was  a  missionary  so  devoted  to  his  family.  Even 
when  six  thousand  miles  separated  him  from  his  country 
he  still  seemed  always  to  live  in  spirit  with  his  own.  He 
shared  their  sorrows  and  joys  and  the  minutest  detail  was 
of  interest.  His  predilection,  like  that  of  his  divine 
Master,  was  always  for  children  and  the  young.  Upon 
receiving  news  of  the  birth  of  his  nephews  he  writes, 
"In  God's  name  I  bless  them  from  afar.  Send  me  their 
names  that  I  may  add  them  to  my  list  of  mementoes  at 
Mass." 9  He  loved  these  innocent  souls  even  before 
they  were  born.  "The  enclosed  holy  picture  is  for 
Elmira's  first  child.  Please  give  it  to  her  with  my  best 
wishes  the  day  of  its  birth."  10  Paul  made  his  first  com- 
munion at  twelve  years  of  age.  "Tell  him  he  must  offer 
a  communion  for  his  Uncle  Peter,  who  will  say  ten  Masses 
for  him."  u 

To  Charles,  about  to  be  married,  he  writes,  "I  share  in 
the  joy  these  events  bring  to  the  family.  Although  the 
wedding-day  in  the  month  of  May  is  not  mentioned  in 
your  letter,  I  will  offer  the  holy  sacrifice  every  day  for 
your  and  Alice's  happiness.  The  movement  of  the  boat 
upon  which  an  altar  has  been  erected  in  no  way  prevents 
me  from  keeping  my  promise.  I  send  you  a  wedding- 
present  of  a  large  and  beautiful  Indian  calumet."  12 

The  feast-days  of  his  brothers  and  sisters  were  never 
forgotten.     He  always  joined  his  good  wishes  to  those  of 

s  To  his  nephew  Charles,  St.  Louis,  April  22,  1854. 

9  To  Gustave  Van  Kerckhove,  St.  Louis,  Dec.  11,  1859. 

10  To  Charles  and  Rosalie  Van  Mossevelde,  Bardstown,  April  20,  1855. 

11  To  his  nephew  Charles,  St.  Louis,  April  22,  1854. 

12  St.  Louis,  April  20,  1862.  He  referred  in  this  letter  to  Alice  De  Witte, 
second  wife  of  Charles  De  Smet. 


FAMILY  INTERCOURSE  289 

the  children  of  the  family.  Sometimes  his  congratulations 
were  expressed  in  verse,  and  with  what  joy  these  French 
or  Flemish  poems  were  read  and  sung  in  the  family  circle ! 
In  1854,  to  distract  himself  from  the  Know-Nothing  move- 
ment, he  gave  free  vent  to  his  poetic  strain.  One  of  his  com- 
positions contains  not  less  than  a  hundred  Alexandrines: 
A  dialogue  between  St.  Teresa  and  St.  Rosalie,  the  patron 
saints  of  his  two  sisters,  and  while  the  style  can  hardly  be 
called  classic,  the  verses  breathe  profound  religious  senti- 
ment and  delicate  affection. 

The  rugged  worker  had  his  hours  of  naive  and  charming 
pleasantry.  "Now  that  I  love  my  nephew  Mr.  De  Bare 
as  much  as  I  love  my  niece  Sylvia,13  you  will  kindly  give 
him  a  faithful  description  of  his  uncle,  so  that,  should  I 
arrive  in  your  absence,  he  will  recognize  me.  Uncle  Peter, 
you  must  tell  him,  is  a  man  of  medium  height,  with  gray 
hair  rapidly  turning  white.  A  nose,  of  which  neither 
Greek  nor  Roman  could  complain,  occupies  the  center  of  a 
large  face.  A  near  neighbor  to  the  nose  is  a  mouth  of 
ordinary  size  which  only  opens  to  laugh  and  make  others 
merry.  A  peculiarity  of  his  is  to  inculcate  in  others  the 
love  of  God.  The  rest  proclaims  a  man  of  fifty  years  of 
age,  weighing  210  pounds.  Should  you  ever  build  a  house, 
widen  the  doors  by  six  inches,  for  I  do  not  like  to  squeeze 
through  a  doorway  in  entering  my  room."14  Father  De 
Smet's  letters  terminate  with  greetings  from  afar  to  a  long 
list  of  friends  and  relatives  whom  he  assures  of  his  un- 
failing remembrances,  or  of  whom  he  asks  prayers.  The 
list  sometimes  contains  thirty  or  forty  names.  Neither 
the  barber  nor  the  humblest  servant  is  forgotten. 

The  photographs  of  his  dear  absent  ones  were  a  source 
of  great  happiness.  "I  have  in  St.  Louis  several  photo- 
graphs of  my  family  arranged  around  a  beautiful  engrav- 
ing of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  which  is  the  principal  ornament 
of  my  poor  cell.  When  I  open  my  eyes  in  the  morning, 
and  every  time  I  enter  my  room,  my  eyes  rest  upon  the 
image  of  my  good  Mother;   and  in  recommending  myself 

13  Mr.  De  Bare  had  just  married  Sylvia  De  Smet. 

14  To  Sylvia  De  Smet,  October,  1850.  Upon  the  ample  proportions  of 
Father  De  Smet  see  Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  105. 


29o    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

to  her  protection  I  implore  her  protection  for  all  those  who 
encircle  her."  15 

This  constant  thought  of  his  family  may  seem  incon- 
sistent with  religious  detachment.  We  must  remember, 
however,  that  perfection  does  not  consist  precisely  in 
loving  God  alone,  but  in  loving  Him  above  all  other 
creatures.  Certain  saints  whose  austerities  are  well 
known  had  an  abiding  affection  for  their  families.  St. 
Francis  Borgia  maintained  his  intercourse  with  his  family, 
sought  them  out  on  all  occasions,  and  complained  of  the 
rarity  of  their  visits  and  letters.  Upon  his  death-bed 
he  named  his  sons,  brothers,  and  relatives  one  by  one,  that 
he  might  recommend  them  to  God,  and  even  begged  his 
brother  to  look  after  a  donkey-driver  who  had  accom- 
panied him  in  his  travels.16 

Father  De  Smet's  solicitude  for  his  family  never  inter- 
fered with  the  discharge  of  his  missionary  duties.  In  his 
tenderest  and  most  affectionate  letters,  one  recognizes  the 
priest  and  religious  firmly  fixed  on  God,  interested  in  all 
things,  yet  judging  all  in  the  light  from  on  high.  These 
same  letters  were  to  him  as  a  phase  of  his  apostolate. 
Delicately,  yet  firmly,  he  addressed  to  each  one  a  warning 
or  a  counsel.  "I  feel  justified  in  speaking  thus,  being  the 
only  priest  in  the  family." 

Hearing  that  one  of  his  nephews  delighted  in  reading 
and  meditating  upon  the  Imitation,  he  writes,  "This  is 
excellent,  but  not  enough.  A  little  courage  will  make  you 
add  practice  to  meditation.  It  does  not  suffice  to  know 
Jesus  Christ;  we  must  love  and  imitate  Him,  or  our 
sublimest  conceptions  are  sterile  and  worthless."  17  To  a 
relative  suffering  from  a  long  illness  he  sent  weekly  letters 
of  encouragement  and  consolation,  and  begged  the  prayers 
of  the  religious  orders  in  St.  Louis  for  her.  In  every 
letter  he  urged  her  to  imitate  the  courage  and  patience  of 

15  To  Charles  De  Smet,  St.  Louis,  May  5,  1865. 

16  Cf.  Father  Suau,  S.  J.,  "Histoire  de  St.  Francois  de  Borgia,"  Paris,  1910, 
p.  530.  As  to  St.  Francis  Xavier,  that  model  of  missionaries,  we  know  how 
devotedly  attached  he  was  to  his  fellow  religious  in  Europe.  "In  order  to 
keep  you  ever  with  me,  I  have  cut  off  your  signatures  from  your  letters,  and 
these  names  are  such  a  consolation  to  me  that  I  carry  them  and  the  formula 
of  my  vows  always  with  me."  (To  the  Fathers  and  Brothers  at  Rome, 
Amboina,  May  10,  1546.) 

17  St.  Louis,  Sept.  25,  1854. 


FAMILY  INTERCOURSE  291 

the  saints.  "In  the  words  of  St.  Augustine:  'Can  you 
not  do  what  so  many  others  have  done?'  If  of  yourself 
you  feel  incapable  of  accomplishing  the  least  good  action, 
say  with  the  Apostle:  'I  can  do  all  things  in  Him  who 
strengthens  me.'"  18 

A  few  weeks  later  the  pious  invalid  was  called  to  her 
reward.  Father  De  Smet  wrote  at  once  to  her  husband 
to  encourage  and  console  him  with  words  of  faith  and 
hope.  "The  news  of  Laura's  death  grieves  me  beyond 
words,  and  I  realize  fully  the  sorrow  this  loss,  as  irreparable 
as  it  is  premature,  has  caused  you.  You  have  lost  a  com- 
panion who  made  the  happiness  of  your  life,  and  whose 
amiable  qualities  were  only  equaled  by  her  solid  virtues. 

"Dear  Charles,  the  angels  have  claimed  her  for  whom 
you  weep.  She  has  been  admitted,  I  dare  hope,  to  the 
celestial  banquet,  and  has  entered  upon  her  immediate 
reward  for  the  sufferings  she  endured  with  so  much  patience 
and  resignation.  I  have  recommended  her  soul  to  the 
prayers  of  our  Fathers  and  the  religious  orders  in  St.  Louis, 
and  since  receiving  the  sad  news,  I  have  offered  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  daily  for  her  soul. 

"  It  is  a  great  consolation  to  hear  that  you  have  accepted 
this  heavy  trial  in  a  truly  Christian  spirit.  You  weep, 
but  not  like  those  who  weep  without  hope.  Your  dear 
Laura  has  only  exchanged  her  fragile,  terrestrial  body  for 
a  tabernacle  not  built  by  the  hands  of  man.  On  earth 
she  was  your  faithful  and  beloved  companion;  in  heaven 
she  will  be  your  angel  and  will  intercede  for  you."  19 

Father  De  Smet's  intercourse  with  his  family  was  not 
confined  solely  to  correspondence.  Three  times  in  seven 
years,  from  1853  to  i860,  he  returned  to  Belgium.20  What 
joy  for  him  to  find  at  each  visit  a  more  numerous  family; 
to  perform  marriage  ceremonies,  receive  souvenirs,  and  to 
see  that  the  affection  of  his  family  and  friends  had  stood 
the  test  of  time.  Now  and  then  a  great  sorrow  would 
darken  their  lives.     In  November,  i860,  Charles  De  Smet, 

18  To  Laura  Blondel,  Charles  De  Smet's  first  wife,  St.  Louis,  June  I,  i860. 

19  To  his  nephew  Charles,  St.  Louis,  July  12,  i860. 

20  In  1853,  1856,  i860.  In  1853  President  Pierce  sent  letters  by  Father 
De  Smet  to  different  European  Governments. 


292     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  SJ. 

the  missionary's  eldest  brother,  died  at  his  country-place, 
Grembergen,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Termonde.  A  just 
judge,  a  fervent  Christian,  his  generosity  merited  the 
gratitude  of  the  missions.21  Father  De  Smet  had  the  con- 
solation of  assisting  at  his  last  moments,  and  following 
him  to  the  grave. 

But  it  was  not  to  visit  his  family  that  he  crossed  the 
ocean.  In  his  capacity  of  Procurator  of  the  Missions  he 
had  to  provide  for  the  needs  of  the  Vice-Province,  and, 
moreover,  find  men  and  money  for  his  mountain  missions. 
That  Father  De  Smet,  above  all  others,  was  best  fitted  for 
this  delicate  task  is  proven  by  the  fact  that  he  secured 
one  hundred  apostles  for  the  New  World,  and  collected,  in 
all,  over  $200,000. 

His  manner  of  procedure  was  as  follows:  Arriving  in 
Belgium,  he  heralded  through  the  press  the  object  of  his 
visit.22  Then  he  began  his  begging  tour,  in  Belgium  and 
Holland,  followed  by  similar  journeys  to  France,  Italy, 
Germany,  England,  and  Ireland.  His  first  visits  were  made 
to  the  families  of  the  missionaries,  to  the  benefactors  of  the 
missions,   and  to  the  heads  of  the  Propagation  of  the 

21  Monsieur  Charles  De  Smet,  former  President,  held  for  several  years 
the  post  of  Counselor  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  at  Ghent.  In  a  statement  of 
accounts  in  Father  De  Smet's  handwriting  we  read:  "Don  de  C  {harks)  d, son 
friere)  P(ierre)  20,000  francs." 

22  "After  long  journeys  in  the  American  wilderness,  I  see  again  my  own 
country  and  am  happy  to  be  able  to  personally  express  the  missionaries' 
gratitude  to  our  benefactors  for  their  generosity  to  the  poor  Indians.  ^ 

"Since  my  last  visit  to  Belgium  I  have  traversed  districts  devoid  of 
missions,  and  where  probably  no  European  has  ever  set  foot.  Providence 
has  upheld  my  feeble  courage,  guided  my  steps,  and  fructified  the  seed  of 
the  Gospel  in  lands  where  it  was  heretofore  unknown.  I  have  recognized 
the  good  that  can  be  accomplished  among  these  wandering  tribes  ever  at 
war  with  each  other,  who,  having  no  hope  of  eternity,  are  bereft  of  all 
consolation. 

"The  small  number  of  priests  in  America  are  insufficient  to  minister  to 
the  Catholics  and  at  the  same  time  to  the  Indians  who  clamor  for  a  Black 
Robe.  Hence,  I  have  come  to  Europe  to  appeal  to  your  generous  hearts. 
I  come  also  to  ask  for  material  assistance.  I  know  that  Belgium  is  besieged 
by  missionaries  from  America,  India,  and  the  Orient,  and  I  realize  that 
benefactors  are  taxed  to  the  limit  of  their  resources  to  satisfy  these  constant 
demands.  But  no  one  in  Europe  can  form  any  idea  of  the  need  we  have  for 
priests  to  prevent  defection  from  our  ranks,  to  convert  the  heathen,  and  to 
train  missionaries;  for  money  to  build  churches,  support  schools,  establish 
reductions,  and  thus  illumine  the  desert  with  the  light  of  faith  and  the 
dawn  of  civilization."  (Letter  to  the  editor  of  the  Brussels  Journal,  July  2, 
I853-) 


JOURNEYS  TO  EUROPE  293 

Faith.  Then  came  the  turn  of  the  colleges,  boarding- 
schools,  and  seminaries.  Everywhere  he  was  feasted  and 
made  welcome.  Those  privileged  ones  who  attended  his 
conferences  retained  a  vivid  picture  of  the  priest  with 
flowing  locks,  who,  with  touching  simplicity,  begged  bread 
for  his  children.  His  address,  ordinarily  calm,  almost  cold, 
and  devoid  of  sentimental  demonstration,  rang  with  en- 
thusiasm in  speaking  about  the  Flatheads  or  Cceur  d'Alenes 
and  their  needs;  and  in  proclaiming  the  white  man's 
iniquitous  proceedings,  his  voice  warmed  and  the  tears 
that  trembled  on  his  eyelids  rained  down  his  noble,  hand- 
some face.  His  eloquence  gained  for  the  missions  the 
interest  of  the  entire  audience. 

Although  his  appeals  were  always  successful,  Father 
De  Smet  disliked  appearing  in  public,  and  on  such  occa- 
sions this  man,  daring  to  the  point  of  temerity,  betrayed  a 
pitiful  timidity.  Once  he  had  promised  to  speak  in  the 
little  church  of  St.  Catherine  in  Liege,  but  when  the  day 
arrived,  filled  with  embarrassment,  he  was  heard  to  say: 
"I  cannot  do  it.  I  do  not  know  what  to  say."  "Show 
yourself,"  they  said,  "and  simply  say  you  have  come  to 
make  an  appeal  for  your  Indians."  But  the  humble  mis- 
sionary drew  back.  At  the  last  moment  one  was  obliged 
to  drag  him  from  his  room  and  conduct  him  to  the  church. 
He  mounted  the  pulpit,  addressed  the  congregation,  and 
in  a  few  moments  was  so  carried  away  by  his  subject  that 
his  audience,  moved  and  enchanted,  could  have  listened  to 
him  for  hours.23 

With  the  children  he  was  at  his  best.  He  loved  the 
simple,  naive  reception  he  received  from  nuns  24  and  in- 
nocent little  girls  and  boys,  and  always  asked  for  a  list  of 
their  Christian  names  in  order  to  give  them  to  the  Indian 
children  he  baptized.  In  many  schools25  he  dressed  up 
young  men  as  redskins  and  paraded  them  before  the 
students  amid  storms  of  applause,  overjoyed  at  the  pleasure 

23  The  fact  is  recounted  by  Father  Broeckaert,  then  Pastor  of  St.  Cather- 
ine's.    Cf.  Prtcis  Historiques,  1873,  p.  328. 

24  In  particular  at  the  Ursuline  convents  of  Saventhem  and  Thildonck, 
and  at  the  Servants  of  Mary  at  Erps-Querbs.  The  Superior  of  the  last 
community  was  Father  De  Smet's  cousin. 

25  At  Brussels,  Ghent,  Antwerp,  and  Namur,  and  even  before  the  students 
of  the  Sorbonne.     Cf.  Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  66. 


294     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

he    occasioned,    and    laughing    heartily    with    the    little 
ones. 

But  he  excelled  in  recounting  tales  and  adventures,  and 
like  all  missionaries,  had  many  at  hand,  such  as  the  story 
of  Louise  Sighouin,  the  Cceur  d'Alene  saint,26  and  terrifying 
ones  of  Tchatka,  the  Assiniboin  chief,  worthy  imitator  of 
Nero  and  Caligula.27  Some  of  his  recitals  had  quite  a 
savage  flavor — for  example,  the  tale  of  the  mouthful  of 
whiskey  which  the  Indians  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  the 
last  one  being  allowed  to  swallow  it.  Only  on  rare  occa- 
sions did  he  speak  about  himself,  but  when  pressed  to 
recount  his  adventures,  yielded  with  his  customary  sim- 
plicity and  humor.  Once  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in 
turning  a  path,  a  gray  bear  pounced  upon  him,  burying  his 
claws  in  his  chest.  Believing  himself  lost,  he  repeated  the 
act  of  contrition,  then,  with  the  gigantic  strength  born 
of  danger,  he  seized  the  beast  by  the  throat  and  strangled 
him.28  Through  a  sulphur  match,  he  acquired  great 
prestige  with  the  Crows.  In  wonder  at  the  facility  with 
which  the  missionary  lighted  his  pipe,  the  Indians  con- 
cluded he  possessed  magic  power,  and  treated  him  with 
great  respect.  Before  taking  leave  of  them  he  distributed 
boxes  of  the  "mysterious  fire."  Four  years  later,  when 
again  visiting  the  country,  Father  De  Smet  was  surprised 
to  see  the  entire  tribe  coming  forth  to  receive  him.  Chiefs 
and  warriors  in  gala  attire  conducted  him  from  lodge  to 
lodge,  where  feasts  awaited  him.  The  great  chief  pro- 
fessed undying  friendship.  "Black  Robe,"  he  said,  "to 
you  I  owe  my  success  at  arms,"  and  taking  from  his 
neck  a  little  bag,  he  displayed  the  remainder  of  the 
matches  which  Father  De  Smet  had  given  him.  "I 
take  them  with  me  whenever  I  go  to  war,  and  if  the 
match  lights  the  first  time  I  strike  it,  I  fall  upon  my 
enemies,  sure  of  victory."  The  missionary  had  the 
utmost  difficulty  in  abolishing  this  ridiculous  supersti- 
tion. "You  see,"  he  said,  in  conclusion,  "with  what 
trifles  man  wins  renown  with  the  Indians.     The  possessor 

26  Cf.  Selected  Letters,  2d  Series,  p.  357. 

27  Ibid.,  1st  Series,  p.  223. 

28  Father  Deynoodt,  an  intimate  friend  of  Father  De  Smet,  records  this 
fact  in  his  notes.  Baron  de  Woelmont  avers  that  he  heard  the  missionary- 
recount  a  similar  story.     Cf.  "  L'Habit  d'Arlequin,"  Brussels,  1892,  p.  343. 


JOURNEYS  TO  EUROPE  295 

of  a  few  matches  passes  for  a  great  man  and  receives  dis- 
tinguished honors!" 

The  following  anecdote  greatly  amused  his  audience: 
Surprised  one  night  in  the  depth  of  the  forest  by  a  snow- 
storm, Father  De  Smet  climbed  a  tree,  and,  in  searching 
about  for  a  safe  spot  in  which  to  spend  the  night,  dis- 
covered that  the  tree  was  hollow.  "Aha!"  said  he,  "here 
I  will  be  safely  sheltered,"  and  proceeded  to  descend  inside. 
Arriving  at  the  bottom,  he  felt  something  move  under  his 
feet,  which  turned  out  to  be  a  brood  of  harmless  young 
cubs.  Soon,  however,  the  sound  of  heavy  grunts  reached 
him.  The  mother  bear  was  returning;  her  claws  were 
already  on  the  bark.  She  climbed  up,  then  down  she 
came,  backward.  What  was  the  next  move?  With  great 
presence  of  mind  the  missionary  seized  her  tail  with  both 
hands  and  pulled  it  violently.  The  frightened  bear  quickly 
climbed  up  again  and  disappeared  into  the  forest.  Master 
of  the  lodging,  he  remained  there  quietly  until  daylight 
permitted  him  to  continue  on  his  way.29 

In  listening  to  these  tales  the  children  saw  before  them 
only  a  kindly  old  man  who  entertained  and  amused  them, 
little  dreaming  that  this  priest  was  one  of  the  greatest 
explorers  of  his  time  and  the  protector  of  the  Indian  race. 
That  he  knew  how  to  move  and  impress  the  seminarians  is 
evident  from  the  numbers  he  gained  to  the  apostolate. 
Yet  he  never  forced  a  vocation,  nor  did  he  endeavor  to 
directly  influence  any  one  to  accompany  him.  His 
method  was  to  expose  the  condition  of  the  missions.  He 
spoke  affectionately  of  his  dear  Indians,  awakened  interest 
in  them,  and  the  rest  followed  naturally. 

Among  the  spiritual  notes  of  a  Belgian  seminarian  we 
find  the  following  lines,  dated  October  28,  i860:  "Father 
De  Smet  spoke  to  us  to-day  for  half  an  hour.  He  is  un- 
questionably the  greatest  missionary  in  the  world.  His 
face  is  noble  and  gentle,  but  worn  from  fatigue.  He  speaks 
French  badly,  but  even  this  carelessness  of  speech  is  agree- 
able. He  has  done  us  much  good.  Here  is  a  true  apostle ; 
a  man  dead  to  self,  telling  of  his  travels  and  labors  as 
though  he  were  speaking  about  a  third  person,  and  edifying 

29  This  extraordinary  adventure  is  vouched  for  by  several  people  who 
heard  it  from  the  lips  of  the  missionary. 


296     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

us  at  every  turn.  How  splendid  it  is  to  see  this  priest, 
celebrated  throughout  the  world  for  his  achievements, 
submissive  as  a  child  to  his  Superiors'  orders.  T  will 
return  to  America  in  May,'  he  said.  'Such  are  my  Su- 
periors' orders.'  Yes,  go,  grand  old  man,  and  our  prayers 
and  good  wishes  will  follow  you!  Work,  you  who  have 
accomplished  so  much,  work  for  those  who  sank  into  a 
cowardly  repose  when  the  heat  of  the  day  began;  work 
for  me,  who  am  weak  and  sinful,  or,  rather,  may  your 
merits  obtain  for  me  the  grace  to  do  my  part  in  the  Lord's 
vineyard !  Would  that  I  could  follow  you  there,  where  the 
work  is  great  and  the  laborers  few!  May  Your  divine 
will  be  accomplished  in  me,  O  Lord!  I  submit  myself  to 
You  in  all  things;  let  not  my  cowardice  stand  in  the  way." 

After  a  sojourn  of  several  months  in  Europe,  Father 
De  Smet  began  to  prepare  for  his  return  to  America. 
This  event,  a  painful  parting  to  all  he  left  behind,  was 
none  the  less  so  for  the  missionary,  who,  having  proven 
the  loyalty  of  his  family  and  friends,  left  them  with  deep 
regret.  Wishing  to  keep  them  in  touch  with  his  journeys, 
he  sent  letters  from  Southampton  and  Halifax,  in  which 
assurances  of  affection  were  mingled  with  descriptions  of 
picturesque  and  lugubrious  scenes. 

In  April,  1857,  Father  De  Smet  embarked  at  Antwerp 
with  seven  new  missionaries.  "The  weather  was  splendid, 
and  the  steamer  alive  with  animation.  We  have  a  multi- 
tude of  emigrants,  Germans,  Dutch,  Swiss,  Belgians,  and 
French  on  board.  A  day's  journey  brought  us  to  South- 
ampton, where  the  vessel  remained  until  the  next  day  to 
take  on  the  English  and  Irish  passengers.  We  numbered 
in  all  six  hundred  souls.  All  day  long  the  ship  resounded 
with  the  songs  of  the  Germans  and  Dutch  gathered  on 
deck,  where  they  danced  to  the  accompaniment  of  violin 
and  guitar  and  accordion.  The  main  deck  resembled  a 
village  kermess.  But  joy  does  not  always  tarry  long,  as 
was  soon  proved. 

' '  Hardly  had  we  passed  the  Isle  of  Wight  than  the  aspect 
of  things  changed.  A  heavy  sea  came  on,  the  vessel 
began  to  pitch  as  it  rose  and  fell  with  the  waves,  carried 
up  on  the  crest  one  moment,  then  plunged  into  an  abyss  of 


JOURNEYS  TO  EUROPE  297 

foaming  water.  Song  and  dance  ceased ;  the  dining-saloon 
was  deserted;  hunger  and  gayety  disappeared  together. 
Here  and  there  were  dilapidated  groups  of  haggard  men 
and  women  and  children;  pale  and  livid  specters  leaned 
over  the  rails  in  apparent  converse  with  the  sea.  Even 
well  ones,  who,  however,  had  eaten  and  drunk  too  gener- 
ously, were  wan  and  the  color  of  parchment."30  Father 
De  Smet  suffered  greatly  from  seasickness,  and  notwith- 
standing the  many  voyages  he  made,  he  was  never  free 
from  this  humiliating  malady.  But  this  was  the  least  of 
the  trials  he  experienced  on  his  various  journeys. 

In  December,  1853,  he  had  taken  thirteen  young  men  to 
America.  Bishop  Miege,  who  had  come  to  Europe  to 
assist  at  the  election  of  Father  Beckx,  also  returned  with 
him  upon  the  same  boat,  the  Humboldt.  The  coal  running 
short,  orders  were  given  to  make  for  Halifax.  Some  dis- 
tance from  port,  a  fisherman  came  and  offered  to  take  the 
vessel  in.  "Are  you  a  pilot?"  asked  the  captain.  "Yes," 
replied  the  fisherman.  ' '  I  can  go  and  fetch  my  certificate. 
The  captain,  believing  him,  entrusted  him  with  the  man- 
agement of  the  ship.  Against  the  advice  of  the  officers,  the 
pretended  pilot  at  once  changed  the  direction  and  soon  the 
Humboldt  was  heading  for  the  reefs  near  Devil's  Island. 
It  was  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  the  greater  number 
of  passengers  were  still  in  bed.  Awakening  with  a  shock, 
they  rushed  up  on  deck  to  see  pieces  of  the  ship  floating 
on  the  water,  torn  off  by  a  collision  with  the  rocks.  Water 
rushed  into  the  hold  and  fire  broke  out  near  the  boiler. 
Lifeboats  were  lowered,  which  were  immediately  filled  by 
the  passengers.  But  it  was  impossible  to  steer  a  boat  in 
such  a  sea  through  a  dense  fog. 

Vain  efforts  were  made  to  run  the  ship  on  shore,  but  it 
was  already  settling.  Consternation  seized  all  the  pas- 
sengers, save  Bishop  Miege  and  Father  De  Smet,  who 
remained  calm,  says  a  witness.  A  third  collision  threw 
every  one  pell-mell  on  the  deck,  and  all  seemed  lost.  But 
God  stayed  His  hand;  the  vessel  touched  ground  and  rested 
firmly  upon  a  rock  until  help  could  be  obtained.  Almost 
at  the  same  moment  the  fog  lifted,  revealing  land  not  a 
hundred   feet   away.     The   waters   grew   calm,   the   wind 

30  To  Charles  De  Smet,  New  York,  May  14,  1857. 
20 


298     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

dropped,  and  radiant  sunshine  bathed  land  and  sea. 
The  next  day  Father  De  Smet  celebrated  a  Mass  of  thanks- 
giving in  the  cathedral  of  Halifax;  his  traveling  com- 
panions made  communions  of  thanksgiving  in  the  firm 
conviction  that  they  owed  their  safety  to  a  special  inter- 
position of  heaven. 

Intrepid  in  the  face  of  danger,  once  it  had  passed,  our 
missionary  gave  himself  up  to  contemplating  the  works  of 
God.  One  evening  in  May  after  witnessing  a  glorious 
sunset,  he  lingered  to  contemplate  the  stars  reflected  in 
the  water.  "Never,"  says  he  in  his  Itinerary,  "have  I 
seen  such  a  divine  night.  I  remained  on  deck  to  enjoy  it, 
and  only  retired  to  my  cabin  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing." Rising  before  dawn,  he  went  immediately  on  deck 
to  greet  the  new-born  day.  ' '  The  heavens  were  pure,  the 
sea  calm ;  only  a  faint  breeze  ruffled  the  face  of  the  waters. 
From  the  bosom  of  the  deep  the  sun  rose  majestically; 
then  burst  forth  in  glory,  its  dazzling  rays  radiating  to  all 
points  of  the  horizon.  In  the  east  the  ocean  was  aflame, 
a  vast  mass  of  molten  gold.  A  sunrise  at  sea  is  a  great, 
a  sublime  spectacle.  Mirabilia  opera  tua,  Domine,  et 
anima  mea  cognoscit  minis.'1 31 

At  St.  Louis  many  were  impatiently  awaiting  the  return 
of  Father  De  Smet.  Arriving  unexpectedly,  he  appeared 
at  the  University  during  the  distribution  of  prizes.  The 
crowded  entertainment  hall  resounded  with  applause 
when  the  missionary  entered.  Speeches  were  suspended, 
the  victors  forgot  their  crowns,  and  the  humble  religious 
was  forced  to  submit  to  a  long  ovation.  "I  admit  that 
at  that  moment  I  was  far  from  being  at  my  ease."  Finally 
he  was  allowed  to  retire,  and  kneeling,  he  kissed  the  door- 
step of  his  cell,  and  thanked  God  for  having  restored  him 
to  his  dear  Indians. 

""Wonderful  are  Thy  works,  and  my  soul  knoweth  right  well."  (Ps. 
cxxxviii,   14.) 


CHAPTER   XIX 

THE   WAR   OF    SECESSION    (1861-1865) 

Civil  War  in  the  United  States— The  Battle  of  Bull  Run— Anarchy  in 
Missouri— Father  De  Smet's  Trials— Father  De  Smet  Secures  a  Subsidy 
for  the  Indian  Schools — Obtains  Military  Exemption  for  the  Jesuits 
-—His  Intercourse  with  Lincoln — A  Dinner  at  the  Belgian  Legation — Pub- 
lication of  the  "Western  Missions  and  Missionaries"  and  the  "New 
Indian  Sketches  "—It  is  Said  that  Father  De  Smet  Did  Not  Write  the 
"Letters" — He  Addresses  a  Protest  to  the  German  Provincial — The 
Sisters  of  St.  Mary  in  America— The  War  Ends— Jesuit  Chaplains- 
Missions  Given  in  the  Large  Cities— "The  Church  of  These  Fathers 
Must  Be  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ"— The  Oath  Required  by  the 
State  of  Missouri — Catholicism   Makes  Great  Progress. 

TPON  landing  in  New  York  in  the  month  of  April,  1861, 
^  Father  De  Smet  found  his  adopted  country  in  the 
throes  of  civil  war.  For  a  long  time  there  had  been 
division  between  the  South,  anxious  to  maintain  slavery, 
and  the  North,  the  partisan  of  emancipation.  The  election 
of  President  Lincoln,  a  strong  abolitionist,  had  precipitated 
the  conflict.  The  Confederates  had  seized  Fort  Sumter  and 
several  arsenals,  and  the  North  retaliated  by  arming  two 
hundred  thousand  men  and  proclaiming  a  blockade  of  the 
coast  States  in  revolt.  It  was  a  terrible  war,  in  which 
men  of  the  same  blood  and  country  fought  with  unexampled 
ardor  and  persistency.  A  million  men  killed,  towns  and 
cities  bombarded,  the  entire  South  devastated,  the  work  of 
half  a  century  destroyed,  two  billion  dollars  expended,  the 
entire  population  affected;  such  was  the  balance-sheet  of 
this  sanguinary  conflict. 

Distressed  beyond  measure  by  this  news,  Father  De  Smet 
hastened  to  St.  Louis.  A  passionate  advocate  of  peace 
and  liberty,  he  deplored  the  military  regime  to  which  the 
country  had  been  subjected.  The  press  and  telegraph  were 
under  Government  control,  newspapers  suppressed,  rail- 
way lines  cut,  canal  and  river  transportation  intercepted, 


300     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

and  citizens  suspected  of  treason  imprisoned  without  trial. 
"It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  great  Republic  is  as  com- 
pletely given  over  to  despotism  as  though  it  were  in  the 
hands  of  the  Czar  of  all  the  Russias."1 

But  more  than  the  loss  of  liberty,  Father  De  Smet 
deplored  the  lives  sacrificed  to  implacable  rivalry.  He 
was  in  Washington  at  the  time  of  the  famous  battle  of 
Bull  Run,  and  from  the  heights  overlooking  the  city  he 
heard  the  cannon's  roar.  After  a  bloody  conflict  the  Federals 
began  to  give  way,  and  were  finally  routed.  "The  entrance 
of  the  fleeing  men  into  Washington  is  the  saddest  scene  I 
have  ever  witnessed.  For  miles,  a  straggling  line  of  hag- 
gard officers  and  soldiers  of  every  branch  of  the  service, 
in  tattered  uniforms,  without  arms  and  knapsacks,  pushed 
their  way  pell-mell  among  carts,  ambulances,  and  vehicles 
of  every  description."2 

But  defeat  in  no  way  diminished  the  courage  of  the 
North.  A  call  was  made  for  five  hundred  thousand  men 
and  for  five  hundred  million  dollars,  and  the  war  continued 
with  varying  success  for  both  the  combatants. 

Two  years  after  the  outbreak  of  hostilities,  Father  De 
Smet  writes:  "God  alone  can  in  His  mercy  put  an  end  to 
this  disastrous  struggle.  Up  to  this  time  no  one  can  pre- 
dict the  final  result.  Numerous  battles  have  been  fought 
without  leading  to  any  definite  result.  A  horrible  war  in 
which  brothers  cut  each  other's  throats,  and  in  which 
battles  are  often  butcheries."3 

Missouri,  being  on  the  border  between  the  free  States 
and  the  slave  States,  was  the  scene  of  the  worst  excesses.4 
Both  North  and  South  were  largely  represented,  every 
town  and  village  was  divided  into  two  opposing  camps, 

1  Letter  to  Francis  De  Smet,  St.  Louis,  April  16, 1862.      2  Ibid.,  July,  1861. 

3  To  Mr.  J.  Van  Jersel,  St.  Louis,  Feb.,  1863. 

4  "You  have  read  of  the  horrors  of  the  French  Revolution  and  the  civil 
wars  of  different  centuries  and  countries;  but  all  that  gives  only  a  faint 
idea  of  the  condition  to  which  Missouri  is  reduced.  Her  own  children, 
divided  between  the  North  and  the  South,  tear  one  another  to  pieces  and 
burn  and  sack  one  another's  houses,  while  enemies  from  without  over- 
run the  State  to  satisfy  their  hatred  and  thirst  for  pillage.  The  head  of  the 
rebels  has  just  published  a  manifesto  in  which  he  promises  two  hundred 
million  dollars'  worth  of  spoils  to  fifty  thousand  brigands  willing  to  fight 
under  his  flag.  To  this  condition  has  Missouri  been  reduced  by  detestable 
Secession,  and  yet  we  are  only  at  the  first  page  of  its  history."  (Letter 
of  Father  De  Smet  to  his  brother  Francis,  St.  Louis,  Dec.  4,  1861.) 


THE  WAR  OF  SECESSION  301 

and  in  the  general  conflict  it  was  difficult  to  distinguish  a 
murder  from  an  act  of  war. 

Murders  were  on  the  increase  in  St.  Louis;  in  two 
months  there  were  seventy.  The  rumor  spread  that  Father 
De  Smet  had  been  rescued  by  an  armed  force  from  being 
burned  to  death,  but  the  report  was  unfounded.  "I  do 
not  think,"  he  writes,  "that  I  am  disliked  to  such  a  point."  5 
Yet  he  was  none  the  less  horrified  at  what  was  taking  place 
under  his  eyes.  The  city  he  had  seen  built,  and  the  Uni- 
versity he  and  Father  Van  Quickenborne  had  founded, 
seemed  destined  to  early  ruin.  "Only  a  few  months  ago 
business  nourished  and  the  population  was  increasing. 
Since  then  forty  thousand  people  have  left  St.  Louis  and 
thousands  of  houses  and  stores  are  vacant.  Landed  prop- 
erty has  fallen  to  one-fourth  its  value,6  our  great  river  is 
blockaded,  and  hundreds  of  steamboats  are  lying  idle  along 
the  levee.  Farm  products  rot  in  barns  and  sheds.  The 
college  has  opened  with  only  a  third  of  its  pupils.  When 
and  how  will  it  all  end?    No  man  can  predict."  7 

But  Father  De  Smet  was  not  idle  during  this  time. 
When  the  war  was  at  its  height,  he,  provided  with  a  pass- 
port, three  times  went  through  the  belligerent  lines  to 
visit  the  tribes  on  the  Upper  Missouri  and  to  revictual 
the  Oregon  Missions.  Several  times  he  journeyed  to 
Washington  to  claim  Government  subsidies  for  the  Indian 
schools,  and  to  obtain  exemption  from  military  service  for 
the  members  of  religious  orders.  The  war  was  a  great 
drain  on  the  national  treasury.  The  sum  of  $13,800  was 
due  to  the  Osage  and  Potawatomi  Missions.  Father  De 
Smet  argued  to  the  officials  that  the  subsidies  were  guar- 
anteed by  treaties,  and  a  longer  delay  would  antagonize 
the  Indians,  who  up  to  the  present  had  shown  themselves 
faithful  subjects  of  the  Union.  Should  the  missions,  for 
want  of  funds,  be  forced  to  send  the  hundreds  of  children 
back  to  their  families,   the  tribes  might  make  common 

6  To  Father  Terwecoren,  St.  Louis,  Feb.  17,  1862. 

6  "I  am  acquainted  with  families  who  enjoyed  incomes  of  $20,000  up  to 
i860,  who  are  now  reduced  to  $2,000  a  year."  (Letter  of  Father  De  Smet 
to  the  Mother  General  of  the  Sisters  of  St.  Mary,  March  1,  1862.) 

7  To  Charles  and  Rosalie  Van  Mossevelde,  St.  Louis,  Sept.  10,  1861. 


302     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

cause  with  the  rebels.  This  argument  appeared  to  have 
weight,  for  ten  thousand  dollars  was  paid  at  once,  and 
a  promise  was  given  that  the  rest  would  soon  follow. 

In  the  spring  of  1863,  Congress  passed  a  law  calling  to 
the  colors  all  men  old  enough  to  bear  arms.  Neither  secular 
nor  regular  clergy  were  exempt,  and  already  some  had 
been  enrolled.  The  Jesuits,  while  willing  to  expose  their 
lives  in  the  interests  of  their  country,  did  not  feel  at  lib- 
erty to  go  against  ecclesiastical  orders.  "We  are  ministers 
of  peace,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "and  from  all  times 
the  sacred  character  of  the  priesthood  has  been  judged 
incompatible  with  war  and  the  shedding  of  blood.  It  is 
a  law  of  the  Church,  and  one  binding  on  our  con- 
sciences." 8 

An  act  of  Congress  permitted  the  conscripts  to  buy 
release  from  military  duties  by  the  payment  of  three  hun- 
dred dollars,  but  the  St.  Louis  Province  was  too  poor,  and 
such  an  expenditure  spelled  ruin.  Father  De  Smet  appealed 
to  the  Secretary  of  War,  who,  in  recognition  of  the  mis- 
sionary's services  during  the  Oregon  campaign,  allowed 
the  Jesuits  to  follow  their  avocations  "until  further 
orders."  It  was  a  tacit  exemption,  which  lasted  as  long  as 
the  war.  In  passing  through  Washington,  Father  De  Smet 
had  had  several  interviews  with  President  Lincoln.  Be- 
tween the  emancipator  of  the  slaves  and  the  defender  of 
the  Indians  a  friendly  understanding  was  easily  established. 
The  President  showed  himself  well  disposed  toward  the 
Indians  and  promised  his  support. 

Everywhere  the  missionary  was  well  received.  States- 
men invited  him  to  their  tables;  one  day  he  dined  at  the 
Belgian  Legation  with  the  French,  Spanish,  and  Russian 
ambassadors.  "All  the  ambassadors  were  resplendent 
with  their  orders.  I  was  arrayed  in  a  worn  frock-coat 
lacking  two  buttons.  Nevertheless,  it  passed  off  very 
pleasantly  and  I  held  my  own  in  this  distinguished  gather- 
ing. But  I  would  have  been  more  at  my  ease  seated  on 
the  ground  in  the  midst  of  my  Indians,  listening  to  their 
badinage,  while  eating  with  relish  a  buffalo  steak  or  a  fat 
roast  dog."9 

8  Letter  to  Thurlow  Weed,  April  II,  1863. 

9  Letter  to  Father  Terwecoren,  St.  Louis,  Feb.  17,  1862. 


THE  WAR  OF  SECESSION  303 

In  order  to  make  known  the  missions  and  to  obtain 
funds  for  them,  Father  De  Smet  published  in  New  York, 
in  1 863 ,  two  new  editions  of  his ' '  Letters. ' '  The  first,  entitled 
"  Western  Missions  and  Missionaries,"  was  a  translation  of 
Cinquante  Nouvelle  Lettres,  which  had  appeared  in  1858.10 
Besides  accounts  of  his  journeys  and  studies  of  the  habits 
and  customs  of  the  people,  it  contained  several  sketches 
of  the  first  Jesuits  in  Missouri.  The  second  volume,  "  New 
Indian  Sketches,"  contained  the  story  of  Louise  Sighouin, 
an  account  of  the  pacification  of  the  Cceur  d'Alenes,  and 
the  missionary's  correspondence  with  General  Harney. 
These  publications  were  similar  to  his  ' '  Journeys  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains,"  and  "The  Oregon  Missions,"  and  were 
written  in  the  same  interesting  vein,  with  the  same  note 
of  sincerity,  freshness  of  style,  and  breathing  the  same 
charity  for  the  Indians  and  the  same  zeal  to  save  them. 

"The  facts  related  in  these  letters,". says  an  American 
journal,  "form  an  important  chapter  in  the  history  of  the 
Church  in  our  country,  and  bring  out  strongly  the  differ- 
ence between  the  labors  of  the  Catholic  and  Protestant 
missionary.  Can  the  American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
give  the  public  a  volume  like  this  one  of  Father  De  Smet? 
What  have  their  agents  done  with  the  enormous  sums  of 
money  placed  in  their  hands  ?  Their  labors  are  counted  by 
the  number  of  Bibles  distributed.  The  letter  killeth,  but 
the  spirit  quickeneth."  n 

Yet  there  were  men  who  contested  the  value  of  these 
recitals.  Formerly  Father  De  Smet  had  been  reproached 
with  embellishing  facts  beyond  all  recognition;  now  they 
cla'med  that  the  ' '  Letters  "  were  not  written  by  him,  that  he 
had  only  lent  his  name  to  the  publication.  Who  started 
the  calumny?  It  was  never  traced  to  its  source,  but  it 
spread  to  Europe,  and  was  even  believed  by  the  German 
Jesuits.  It  grieved  and  perturbed  the  missionary  that  his 
good  faith  should  be  doubted,  and  once  more  he  felt  obliged 
to  clear  himself  of  this  false  accusation.  In  the  following 
humble  terms  he  addressed  the  German  Provincial: 

"Personally,  I  deserve  small  consideration,  but  our 
Missouri  Province  feels  its  honor  has  been  attacked  in 

10  Published  by  Casterman,  Paris. 

11  The  Pilot,  Dec.  29,  1863. 


3o4     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

supposing  it  could  authorize  an  imposture.  I  alone  am 
responsible  for  letters  written  over  my  name  and  with  the 
consent  of  my  Superiors.  The  accounts  of  some  of  our 
Fathers  have  been  taken  from  authentic  documents,  which 
I  obtained  from  different  sources,  and  which  were  revised 
and  published  by  me.  In  my  travels  I  have  drawn  my  in- 
formation from  authentic  sources,  and  given  it  to  the  pub- 
lic for  what  it  was  worth,  citing  always  my  authority. 
While  working  among  the  Indians,  I  have  not  only  in- 
structed them,  but  have  questioned  and  studied  them,  and 
have  faithfully  recorded  the  facts,  both  adverse  and  favor- 
able. Every  word  has  been  written  ad  major  em  Dei 
gloriam,  and  in  compliance  with  my  Superiors'  express 
desire.  Hence,  I  declare  that  the  letters  published  as  mine 
were  written  by  me,  which  fact  gives  me  the  right  to  pro- 
test to  your  Reverence  against  the  accusations  of  those  in 
your  Province  who  deny  their  authenticity.  If  need  be, 
the  entire  Missouri  Province  is  ready  to  attest  my  declar- 
ation." 

The  missionary's  words  could  not  be  doubted,  nor  could 
one  remain  untouched  in  reading  these  words:  "I  am 
weak  and  sensitive ;  I  have  suffered  many  wrongs  through 
false  reports  about  my  publications.  Chapter  xxxvi 
of  the  third  book  of  the  Imitation12  comforts  me  and  I 
endeavor  to  put  it  in  practice.  Moreover,  Thomas  a 
Kempis  tells  us  that  even  St.  Paul  justified  himself  on 
more  than  one  occasion,  for  fear  his  silence  might  be  an 
occasion  of  scandal  to  the  weak."  13 

Father  De  Smet  not  only  spent  himself  in  the  service  of 
his  fellow-missionaries  and  in  the  support  of  the  missions, 
but  his  help  and  counsel  were  ever  at  the  service  of  whoever 
asked  his  aid.  The  Sisters  of  Namur  were  anxious  to 
establish  themselves  in  America,  and  in  1861  the  Superior 
approached  Father  De  Smet  upon  the  subject.  Con- 
versant with  the  success  obtained  by  European  religious 
orders  in  the  United  States,  he  encouraged  the  project  and 
promised  to  further  its  realization. 

12  "Against  the  vain  judgments  of  man." 

13  Letter  to  Father  Roder,  St.  Louis,  Aug.  30,  1867.  See  upon  the  same 
subject,  Precis  Historiques,  1868,  p.  58. 


THE  WAR  OF  SECESSION  305 

Then  came  the  Civil  War.  The  Bishops  dared  not 
undertake  new  foundations.  Well-known  convents  lost 
three-fourths  of  their  pupils  and  found  themselves  in 
straitened  circumstances.  The  Sisters  must  await  a  more 
favorable  moment.  Yet  several  dioceses,  notably  that  of 
Buffalo,  were  less  affected  by  existing  circumstances. 
Bishop  Timon  was  the  personal  friend  of  Father  De  Smet 
and  he  spoke  to  him  about  the  Namur  Sisters.  The 
Bishop  considered  the  proposition  favorably  and  offered  the 
Mother  General  a  foundation  at  Lockport,  a  town  of  fifteen 
thousand  inhabitants.  The  house  in  question  was  extremely 
modest,  but  pupils  were  assured,  and  even  novices. 

Although  the  Bishop  offered  the  best  he  had,  the  Mother 
General  was  prudent,  and,  before  accepting  the  offer, 
sought  Father  De  Smet's  advice.  His  reply  bespeaks  the 
wisdom  and  supernatural  motives  of  a  priest :  "After  much 
reflection  before  God,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  you  should 
accept  the  offer  of  Bishop  Timon.  Generally  speaking, 
Catholic  establishments  in  America  have  begun  in  poverty. 
Our  first  foundation  in  Missouri  began  with  two  log  huts 
covered  with  bark,  eighteen  feet  square,  with  dirt  floors. 
The  first  convent  of  the  Ladies  of  the  Sacred  Heart  was 
established  in  a  village  of  six  hundred  inhabitants.  Their 
house  was  so  small  it  hardly  met  the  needs  of  the  com- 
munity. To-day  they  possess  flourishing  schools  in  all  our 
larger  cities.  .  .  .  The  Bishop  tells  me  that  Buffalo,  with  its 
hundred  thousand  souls,  has  all  the  convents  it  can  support. 
In  ten  years  the  town  will  probably  number  three  hundred 
thousand.  But  before  that  time,  if  you  come  to  Lockport, 
you  will  have  an  establishment  in  Buffalo  and  I  hope  in 
other  large  cities  in  America  and  Canada."  14 

This  letter  decided  the  Mother  General  to  accept  the 
Bishop's  offer,  and  five  months  later  five  of  her  community 
left  for  America.  They  succeeded  from  the  outset,  and 
Bishop  Timon  asked  for  a  second  foundation.  To-day  the 
Sisters  of  St.  Mary  number  nearly  two  hundred  nuns,  and 
possess  well-known  educational  institutions  in  the  large 
cities  of  the  United  States. 15 

14  St.  Louis,  March  19,  1863. 

15  See  "  La  Vie  de  la  Rev6rende  Mere  Marie  Claire  de  Jesus,"  by  the 
Sisters  of  St.  Mary  de  Namur,  1895,  Chap.  xiii. 


306     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

The  war,  which  for  four  years  had  laid  the  country  deso- 
late, was  drawing  to  a  close.  Several  Confederate  army 
corps  had  surrendered,  as  well  as  Richmond,  the  Con- 
federate capital.  The  North  was  victorious,  and  the 
slaves  were  set  free. 

"We  must  thank  God,"  wrote  Montalembert,  "that  a 
great  nation  is  risen  up  again,  and  is  purified  of  a  hideous 
leprosy  which  served  as  a  pretext  and  reason  to  all  friends 
of  liberty  to  denounce  and  defame  her.  She  now  justifies 
all  the  hopes  we  built  upon  her,  we  have  need  of  her  and 
she  is  given  back  to  us,  repentant,  triumphant,  and  saved."16 

Father  De  Smet  thanked  God  for  the  abolition  of 
slavery,  ' '  that  festering  sore,"17  and  he  also  rejoiced  over  the 
progress  Catholicism  was  making.  From  1863  the  Mis- 
souri Vice-Province  took  rank  with  the  other  Provinces  of 
the  Society. 

Although  neutral  in  the  question  that  divided  the  North 
and  South,  the  Jesuits,  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  and  the 
Christian  Brothers  labored  indiscriminately  in  behalf  of 
the  victims  of  the  war.  They  opened  hospitals  in  several 
cities,  where  their  devotion  and  zeal  obtained  consoling 
results.  Sinners  were  reconciled  with  God  and  many 
converts  were  made.  "The  Church  of  these  Fathers," 
they  said,  "must  be  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ." 

The  Jesuit  Fathers  serving  as  chaplains  in  the  army  won, 
by  their  courageous  charity,  the  hearts  and  esteem  of  both 
soldiers  and  officers.  "What  are  our  Protestant  chaplains 
good  for?"  asked  General  Butler.  "They  do  well  enough 
in  peace,  but  are  useless  in  war.  They  administer  no 
Sacraments,  and  the  humblest  soldier  is  invested  with  as 
much  spiritual  power  as  they.  Catholic  priests  alone 
can  be  of  spiritual  help  to  soldiers  on  the  battlefield."  1S 

Between  battles,  the  chaplains  instructed,  baptized,  and 
prepared  the  soldiers  for  their  first  communion.  The  Arch- 
bishop of  New  York  himself  came  on  one  occasion  to  con- 
firm four  hundred  men.  Still  more  extraordinary,  the 
Jesuit  Fathers  managed  to  preach  three-day  retreats, 
which  were  attended  by  both  officers  and  men.     In  some 

16  La  victoire  du  Nord  aux  Etats-  Unis,  in  the  Correspondent,  May,  1865,  p.  7. 

17  Letter  to  Paul  De  Smet,  St.  Louis,  July  7,  1861. 

18  See  The  Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  1865,  p.  469. 


THE  WAR  OF  SECESSION  307 

regiments  fifty  communions  were  distributed  every  morn- 
ing. 

Towns  and  cities  were  as  much  aflame  with  religious 
zeal  as  the  military  camps.  The  extraordinary  prosperity 
enjoyed  by  the  United  States  previous  to  the  outbreak  of 
the  war  had  resulted  in  a  falling  off  of  religious  practices. 
Money  and  pleasure  were  the  sole  objects  of  life  with  many. 
But  the  horrors  of  war,  the  dark  future,  and  the  sudden  loss 
of  fortunes,  gave  other  preoccupations  to  the  frivolous. 
The  Jesuits  seized  this  moment  to  hold  missions  through- 
out the  country.  In  St.  Louis,  Boston,  Cincinnati, 
Louisville,  New  York,  and  Washington,  the  spiritual 
results  of  these  missions  exceeded  all  hopes.  Fathers 
Weninger,  Smarius,  Damen,  Maguire,  and  O'Reilly 
preached  to  enormous  and  mixed  congregations.  Father 
Smarius  alone  distributed  fifty  thousand  communions  in 
less  than  three  months,  and  received  into  the  Church 
two  hundred  and  fifty  Protestants.  Many  who,  formerly, 
would  not  hear  the  word  Catholic,  now  evinced  great  eager- 
ness to  be  instructed.19 

In  Missouri,  however,  a  sectarian  movement  hampered 
the  action  of  the  clergy.  The  legislature  required  priests 
to  swear,  before  they  were  given  the  right  to  teach  or 
preach,  that  during  the  war  they  had  evinced  no  sympathy 
with  the  South.  The  refusal  to  take  the  oath  meant  a 
fine  of  five  hundred  dollars  or  six  months  in  prison. 

"Should  this  law  be  enforced,"  writes  Father  De  Smet, 
"our  churches  will  be  closed  and  our  schools  ruined. 
Furthermore,  since  the  State  does  not  confer  on  us  the 
right  to  preach  and  teach,  to  take  such  an  oath  would  be  to 
compromise  the  independence  of  the  Church."  20 

But  Catholicism  had  sunk  deep  roots  in  American  soil, 
which  her  enemies  could  neither  destroy  nor  weaken.  The 
very  day  the  ruling  was  to  become  a  law  the  University 
opened  its  doors  with  six  hundred  pupils.  The  friends  of 
liberty  carried  the  acts  of  the  legislature  to  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States  and  in  January,  1867,  the  oath 
was  declared  unconstitutional. 

19  In  regard  to  the  Catholic  apostolate  in  the  United  States  during  the 
war,  see  Les  Etudes,  Dec,  1862,  and  Oct.,  1863. 

"Letter  to  Gustave  Van  Kerckhove,  St.  Louis,  Sept.  23,  1865. 


3o8     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Some  months  later  Father  De  Smet  wrote  jubilantly: 
"The  Church,  it  is  true,  has  many  battles  to  fight;  sec- 
tarians of  every  shade  make  war  on  her,  but  notwithstand- 
ing the  propaganda,  the  speeches  and  writings  of  her 
enemies,  our  cause  steadily  gains  a  foothold.  Churches, 
seminaries,  colleges,  academies,  schools,  religious  houses, 
orphanages,  and  hospitals  rise  as  by  enchantment  on 
American  soil.  Thousands  of  Protestant  parents  confide 
the  education  of  their  children  to  Jesuits,  priests,  Christian 
Brothers,  and  the  Sisters,  and  the  greater  number  of  these 
children  become  Catholics,  and  later  on  apostles  in  their 
families.  The  Catholic  population  of  St.  Louis  numbers 
one  hundred  thousand  souls.     It  is  the  Rome  of  America."  21 

One  sees  that  even  if  his  mission  work  frequently  with- 
drew him  to  remote  scenes,  Father  De  Smet  was  con- 
versant with  the  strides  Catholicism  was  making.  His 
correspondence  shows  he  was  equally  attentive  to  what 
was  taking  place  in  Belgium,  Italy,  and  Mexico.  With 
passionate  interest  he  followed  in  every  country  the  eternal 
struggle  between  good  and  evil.  To  him  the  issue  never 
was  doubtful.  He  would  willingly  have  assented  to  these 
words  of  Montalembert :  "It  is  always  difficult  to  do  good, 
but  good  prevails,  and  since  the  coming  of  Our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  into  the  world,  virtue  has  slowly  but  incontestably 
progressed.  History  and  reason  prove  this  truth  more 
and  more  every  day  to  those  who  sincerely  study  the 
question.  The  present  is  better  than  the  past,  and  the 
future  will  be  better  than  the  present."  22 

21  Letter  to  Emile  de  Meren,  Oct.,  1867. 

22  Letter  to  Swiss  students,  Aug.  25,  1869. 


CHAPTER  XX 

A   TOUR   OF   THE   MISSIONS    (1862-1863) 

The  Needs  of  the  Missions — Father  De  Smet  Sends  Yearly  Assistance  to 
the  Oregon  Missions — The  Journey  in  1862 — St.  Peter's  Mission — 
The  Journey  in  1863 — "This  Is  the  Black  Robe  Who  Saved  My  Sister" 
— Triumphal  Journey  through  Oregon — The  Fervor  of  the  Cceur 
d'Alenes — Sad  Forebodings — Return  Journey  by  California,  Panama, 
and  New  York — The  Lost  Returns — Father  De  Smet's  Illness — 
His  Friends  are  Dying  One  by  One — "I  Have  an  Inner  Conviction 
that  My  End  is  Approaching.  Fiat  voluntas  Dei!  " — Restoration  to 
Health. 

SINCE  1849  Father  De  Smet  had  occupied  in  Missouri 
the  posts  of  Procurator  and  of  assistant  to  the 
Provincial.  The  first-mentioned  office  he  exercised  until 
his  death,  but  as  his  many  and  long  journeys  were  incom- 
patible with  the  duties  of  Provincial,  he  was  relieved  of 
that  position  in  1862.  From  that  time,  every  spring,  he 
traveled  up  the  Missouri  to  visit  the  missions  or  to  pacify 
the  Sioux  tribes. 

For  many  years  the  Oregon  establishments  had  received 
no  Government  subsidies.  Father  Hoecken  wrote  from 
Oregon  to  acquaint  Father  De  Smet  with  his  financial 
embarrassment,  and  added:  "Not  for  human  gain  have 
we  given  our  lives  to  work  and  to  suffer  as  we  do  here. 
Although  all  the  gold  in  the  world  could  not  pay  for  our 
devotion,  neither  could  any  privation  induce  us  to  abandon 
our  undertaking. ' '  * 

Yet,  however  disinterested  were  the  missionaries,  a  less 
precarious  situation  would  have  facilitated  their  labors  and 
assured  their  success.  Father  De  Smet  relieved  their 
poverty  with  yearly  consignments  of  foodstuffs,  clothing, 
seeds,  and  farm  implements;  and  with  what  joy  was  this 
largess  received!     "Upon  the  arrival  of  such  a  shipment," 

1St.  Ignatius'  Mission,  April  15,  1857. 


310     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

writes  Father  Hoecken,  "we  wept  tears  of  joy  and  thanks- 
giving. I  did  not  close  my  eyes  that  night,  and  was  unable 
to  calm  my  emotions.  The  next  day  I  reproached  myself 
for  my  weakness,  but  you  know  what  a  missionary's  life 
is  among  the  Indians,  with  its  anguish  and  privations,  and 
you  will  excuse  my  sensibility."2 

With  his  shipments,  Father  De  Smet  included  books  and 
a  budget  of  news  of  all  that  was  taking  place  in  St.  Louis. 
On  one  occasion  his  photograph  accompanied  the  provi- 
sions. The  Indians  learned  of  this,  and  rushed  at  once  to 
salute  their  benefactor.  But  his  likeness  was  not  enough; 
they  clamored  that  he  should  come  in  person.  He  in  turn 
was  no  less  anxious  to  see  once  more  his  children  of  the 
wilderness,  and  in  1861  the  visit  was  arranged.  The 
death,  however,  of  Father  Druyts,  the  Provincial,  delayed 
his  departure  until  the  following  spring.  Instead  of  going 
to  them,  he  sent  by  steamboat  fifty  plows,  a  mill,  tools,  and 
household  utensils  and  took  pleasure  in  the  thought  of  the 
joy  these  articles  would  give  the  missionaries.  Then  the 
news  came  that  both  boats  and  all  the  cargo  had  been 
destroyed  by  fire.  Another  consignment  was  immediately 
packed,  and  this  time  he  took  it  himself.  He  planned  to 
visit  also  the  numerous  tribes  on  the  Upper  Missouri  who 
were  asking  for  Black  Robes. 

In  May,  1862,  the  missionary  left  St.  Louis  on  a  steam- 
boat bound  for  Fort  Benton.  The  captain,  Charles  Chou- 
teau, one  of  the  first  pupils  of  the  University,  offered  his 
former  professor  yearly  free  transportation  for  himself  and 
the  supplies  destined  for  the  missions.  As  they  ascended 
the  Missouri,  they  came  upon  numerous  bands  of  Indians 
camping  on  its  banks.  When  the  boat  landed  for  the 
distribution  of  the  yearly  pensions  and  presents  of  the 
Government,  the  Indians  gathered  around  the  Black  Robe, 
offering  him  the  calumet,  and  listening  attentively  to  his 
words.  Mothers  brought  their  children  to  be  blessed  and 
offered  to  the  Great  Spirit,  and  he  had  the  joy  of  baptizing 
over  seven  hundred  souls — a  great  triumph,  if  one  remem- 
bers that  three-fourths  of  the  children  of  these  tribes  died 
before  attaining  the  age  of  reason. 

An  old  squaw,  crippled  in  arms  and  legs,  dragged  herself 

2  Letter  quoted. 


A  TOUR  OF  THE  MISSIONS  311 

to  the  missionary's  lodge,  and,  stretching  out  her  withered 
arms,  cried :  ' '  Father,  have  pity  on  me !  I  also  wish  to  be 
a  child  of  the  Great  Spirit.  Pour  water  on  my  brow  and 
pronounce  the  sacred  words.  The  whites  call  me  Marie, 
the  name  of  the  good  and  great  Mother  in  heaven  to 
whom  I  wish  to  go  after  death."  Touched  by  such  faith, 
Father  De  Smet  instructed  and  baptized  her  and  left  her 
in  transports  of  joy. 

When  he  left  St.  Louis  it  was  Father  De  Smet's  intention 
to  spend  several  months  evangelizing  the  Sioux,  but  war 
had  just  broken  out  between  this  tribe  and  the  Americans.3 
A  chief  suspected  of  being  friendly  to  the  whites  had  been 
killed  by  his  braves.  As  neither  guide  nor  interpreter 
could  be  found,  he  was  obliged  to  renounce  the  project  for 
the  present.  He  reached  Fort  Benton,  three  thousand 
miles  above  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  received  by  two  Italian 
Jesuits,  Fathers  Giorda  and  Imoda,  who  had  replaced 
Father  Hoecken,  lately  recalled  to  the  States  after  spend- 
ing seventeen  years  in  Oregon.4  The  flourishing  St.  Peter's 
Mission,  founded  a  year  before  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Missouri  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Sun  River,  counted 
over  seven  hundred  Christians. 

What  joy  for  the  missionary  to  see  a  tribe,  formerly 
numbered  among  the  most  cruel  of  the  mountain  Indians, 
worshiping  Christ!  The  fatigue  endured  and  dangers  en- 
countered during  the  terrible  winter  of  1846  to  succor  the 
Blackfeet  rendered  this  tribe  dear  to  the  missionary's 
heart.  He  celebrated  in  their  midst  a  Mass  of  thanks- 
giving; many  Christian  Indians  approached  the  holy 
table,  and  hundreds  of  voices  chanted  the  Magnificat. 

But  if  the  future  was  full  of  promise,  the  missionaries 
were  at  the  time  in  need  of  the  bare  necessities  of  life. 
Father  De  Smet  came  to  their  aid,  and  with  the  funds 
collected  in  Europe  purchased  for  them  large  supplies  of 

3  See  the  following  chapter. 

4  Father  Adrian  Hoecken,  seventeen  years  younger  than  his  brother 
Christian,  was  born  at  Tilbourg  in  Brabant,  Holland,  March  18,  1815. 
In  1839  he  entered  the  novitiate  at  Florissant;  left  for  the  mountains  in 
1844,  and  until  1861  labored  with  great  success  among  the  Flatheads. 
Returning  east,  he  occupied  different  posts,  being  first  appointed  to  the 
Osages,  then  to  Cincinnati,  and  finally  to  St.  Charles.  He  died  in  Mil- 
waukee, April  19,  1897.     (Cf.  The  Woodstock  Letters,  Nov.,  1897,  p.  364.) 


3i2     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

food,  clothing,  and  coverings.  To  encourage  the  Indians 
in  their  efforts  at  agriculture  and  trade,  he  left  them  two 
carts,  several  plows,  and  every  sort  of  utensil. 

On  his  return  to  St.  Louis,  Father  De  Smet  made  new 
purchases,  and  in  the  spring  of  1863  went  up  the  river, 
taking  with  him  two  lay  Brothers  and  a  cargo  valued  at 
three  thousand  dollars,  destined  for  the  missions.  For 
several  days  they  traveled  through  country  infested  with 
bands  of  secessionists,  and  in  several  places  they  passed 
dead  bodies  lying  on  the  river-bank.  Safety  required  that 
all  travelers  should  be  armed,  and  a  heavy  cannon  was 
stationed  in  the  prow  of  the  boat.  "As  for  myself,"  says 
the  missionary,  "I  make  use  only  of  spiritual  arms.  I 
offer  the  Holy  Sacrifice  daily  in  my  cabin,  and  the  Brothers 
as  well  as  myself  are  filled  with  confidence  in  protection 
from  on  high.  When  God  is  with  us  who  can  be  against 
us?"  5  Even  in  such  moments  he  quietly  composed  verses 
upon  the  sorrows  of  the  times. 

When  he  reached  the  Indian  country  he  visited  several 
bands  of  Crows,  Assiniboins,  Grosventres,  Mandans,  and 
Aricaras,  administered  more  than  five  hundred  baptisms, 
and  arranged  for  the  founding  of  a  new  mission  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Yellowstone. 

The  heat  of  summer  had  already  dried  up  the  streams, 
and  the  river  was  too  low  to  permit  a  steamboat  to  navigate 
further.  The  captain  unloaded  his  cargo  near  the  Milk 
River,  three  hundred  miles  from  Fort  Benton.  The  ninety 
passengers  were  forced  to  camp  in  a  forest  until  wagons 
from  the  Fort  came  to  fetch  them  and  their  baggage. 
War  was  still  being  waged  between  the  Sioux  and  the 
whites;  several  steamboats  had  been  attacked,  and  the 
loss  of  life  was  considerable.  One  day  a  band  of  six 
hundred  warriors  surprised  the  camp.  Every  man  seized 
a  gun  and  prepared  to  resist.  Father  De  Smet  wished 
to  avoid  bloodshed,  so  he  went  out  to  meet  the  enemy  and 
was  recognized  at  once  by  the  Sioux.  The  son  of  Red 
Fish,  the  great  chief  of  the  Ogallalas,  grasped  his  hand 
and  exclaimed:  "Here  is  the  Black  Robe  who  saved  my 
sister!" 

6  To  G.  Van  Kerckhove,  on  board  the  Nellie  Rogers,  May  15,  1863. 


A  TOUR  OF  THE  MISSIONS  313 

These  words  recalled  one  of  the  most  touching  episodes 
in  the  life  of  the  missionary.6  The  warriors  surrounded  the 
Black  Robe,  and  showed  him  every  mark  of  respect.  After 
he  had  talked  some  time  with  the  Sioux,  he  distributed 
coffee,  sugar,  and  sweet  crackers.  They  then  departed  to 
return  no  more. 

After  a  month's  weary  waiting  a  long  line  of  carts  was 
seen  approaching,  also  a  carriage  in  which  the  three  mis- 
sionaries were  to  make  the  journey  of  three  hundred  miles 
through  country  laid  waste  by  drought.  At  last,  on  the 
feast  of  the  Assumption,  Father  De  Smet  and  his  com- 
panions reached  Fort  Benton,  and  from  there  journeyed  to 
St.  Peter's  Mission. 

In  a  year's  time  the  number  of  Christians  had  doubled. 
Fathers  Giorda  and  Imoda  worked  for  the  evangelization 
of  the  Blackfeet,  and  at  the  same  time  ministered  also  to 
the  Catholic  emigrants  living  in  the  neighborhood.  These 
priests  heartily  welcomed  the  two  Brothers  who  had  come 
to  share  their  labors.  As  in  the  preceding  year,  Father 
De  Smet's  intention  was  to  push  on  to  the  Sioux  tribes, 
but  the  revolt  of  the  Indians  rendered  this  more  and  more 
impossible.  From  every  direction  came  news  of  massa- 
cres, and  even  the  steamboats  on  the  river  were  in  danger. 
Mr.  Chouteau  had  lost  a  number  of  his  crew  in  going  down 
the  river,  so  Father  De  Smet  decided  to  visit  the  Western 
missions,  one  after  the  other,  and  to  return  by  way  of 
California,  Panama,  and  New  York. 

The  Black  Robe's  arrival  in  Oregon  was  signaled  from 
one  tribe  to  another  by  lighting  great  bonfires  on  the 
mountains.  His  journey  was  a  two  months'  triumphal 
march,  accompanied  by  every  conceivable  demonstra- 
tion of  gratitude:  for  was  it  not  to  him  that  the  Indians 
owed  the  grace  of  baptism  and  the  pacification  of  the 
country  ? 

He  had  just  left  the  mountains  when  he  witnessed  an 
affecting  scene.  A  camp  of  Kalispels  and  Flatheads  were 
returning  from  a  buffalo-hunt.  Suddenly  a  silvery  bell 
was  heard.  The  chief  was  ringing  the  Angelus.  The 
whole  band  knelt  down  and  devoutly  recited  the  Ave  Maria. 
Moved  to  tears,  Father  De  Smet  fell  on  his  knees  and 

6  See  Chap,  xii,  p.  210. 
21 


3 H    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

united  his  prayers  with  those  of  his  children.  The  next 
day  he  celebrated  Mass  upon  a  humble  altar  decorated 
with  willow  branches.  The  Indians  chanted  the  litany  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  and  many  made  their  first  communion. , 
The  day  passed  in  pious  conversation.  He  baptized  the 
children,  and  after  distributing  rosaries,  medals,  and 
scapulars,  he  departed  for  St.  Ignatius'  Mission. 

Here  Father  Grassi,  an  Italian,  had  replaced  Father 
Hoecken.  He  had  collected  the  material  for  a  hospital 
and  a  boarding-school,  but  Sisters  were  needed  to  carry 
these  on.  Father  De  Smet  appealed  to  the  Sisters  of 
Providence  of  Montreal,  and  they  responded  promptly 
and  eagerly.  Before  the  year  was  out  they  were  installed 
and  ready  to  receive  pupils  and  care  for  the  sick. 

St.  Mary's  Mission,  the  first  mountain  foundation,  had 
been  closed  in  1850.  The  Flatheads  had  made  several 
appeals  for  a  Black  Robe,  but  the  Fathers  could  not  then 
be  spared.  Three  years  later  the  cherished  "reduction" 
was  opened  by  Fathers  Giorda  and  Ravalli,  and  again  the 
fervor  of  former  days  revived  in  that  fertile  valley. 

At  Colville,  Father  Joset  had  succeeded  in  establishing 
the  St.  Paul  Mission.  From  there  the  missionary  visited 
the  neighboring  Columbian  tribes.  "Although  the  abuse 
of  whiskey  has  demoralized  the  Indians,  through  God's 
mercy  a  large  number  of  the  faithful  have  escaped  cor- 
ruption, and  show  the  same  desire  to  hear  the  word  of  life 
and  approach  the  Sacraments."  7 

But  of  all  the  tribes,  the  Cceur  d'Alenes  was  the  most 
satisfactory.  Nothing  had  interrupted  the  peace  con- 
cluded in  1859  with  the  Americans,  and  Fathers  Gazzoli 
and  Caruana,  successors  to  Father  Joset,  marveled  to  see 
a  people,  formerly  the  most  ferocious  of  the  Western  tribes, 
become  the  models  of  the  new  center  of  Christianity. 
Absolute  confidence  in  the  missionaries,  great  purity  of 
morals,  a  spirit  of  penitence  worthy  of  the  cloister,  and 
tender  devotion  to  the  Mother  of  God,  such  were  the 
virtues  of  the  new  converts.8 

7  Cited  by  Father  De  Smet,  Selected  Letters,  3d  Series,  p.  173. 

8  "The  Coeur  d'Alenes  fast  nearly  every  Saturday  in  honor  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  a  fast  more  rigorous  than  ours,  for  it  is  not  broken  till  sunset.  To 
prepare  themselves  to  celebrate  worthily  the  feast,  some  wear  belts  of  thorns, 
others  flay  themselves  with  briers,  and  others  again  retire  to  the  forest  in 


A  TOUR  OF  THE  MISSIONS  315 

Both  the  Sacred.  Heart  and  St.  Ignatius'  Missions  pos- 
sessed churches  that  were  the  admiration  of  all  new- 
comers. In  the  neighborhood  of  the  principal  stations 
many  chapels  were  built,  the  greater  number,  however, 
being  devoid  of  everything  required  by  the  rubrics  of  the 
Church.  Father  De  Smet  arrived  one  day  from  St. 
Louis  with  vestments  and  sacred  vessels.  As  he  opened 
his  treasures  the  missionaries  compared  him  to  good 
St.  Nicholas.  He  even  gave  Father  Grassi  his  little 
traveling  chapel.  "His  joy,"  he  says,  "made  me  forget 
the  privation  this  gift  imposed  upon  me." 

This  was  Father  De  Smet's  last  visit  to  the  Oregon  Mis- 
sions. Although  the  condition  of  the  missions  was  most 
satisfactory,  he  could  not  put  away  a  presentiment  of 
coming  disaster.  Every  day  the  invasion  of  the  white  man 
penetrated  further;  cargoes  of  whiskey  arrived  in  many 
places,  and  the  Indians  fell  victims  to  the  fury  and  im- 
morality of  the  pioneer  Americans.9  It  seemed  certain 
that  the  lands  cultivated  by  the  missionaries  would  be 
seized  by  the  invaders  and  the  Christians  exterminated  or 
driven  into  the  arid  mountain  defiles.  The  most  tolerant 
of  the  Government  agents  says  in  his  report,  "The  red 
man  must  disappear  before  the  approach  of  the  white 
man.  The  question  is,  how  can  this  be  accomplished  with 
the  least  suffering  to  the  Indians  and  the  minimum  of 
expense  to  ourselves." 10  The  missionary  was  destined 
to  suffer  untold  sorrow  in  this  sad  perspective.  The  work 
of  his  life  seemed  doomed  to  destruction ;  whatever  became 
of  the  Indians,  they  remained  ever  "the  children  of  his 
heart."  His  heroic  devotion  to  them  to  the  very  end 
proved  what  price  he  attached  to  their  souls. 

order  to  observe  complete  silence.  There  they  pray  and  work,  only  re- 
turning to  camp  for  the  prayers  said  in  common.  Everything  is  referred 
to  the  missionaries,  who  are  obliged  to  restrain,  rather  than  excite  their 
zeal.  A  chief  of  a  neighboring  tribe  witnessed  the  charity  that  animates 
these  Christians  and  wished  to  remain,  saying,  'This  mission  is  a  paradise.'" 
(Letter  from  Father  Grassi,  Catholic  Missions,  1870,  p.  251.) 

9  "One  must  see  this  to  believe  it,"  writes  Father  De  Smet. — "Were  it 
not  for  the  desire  to  save  souls,  we  would  flee  the  camp."  (Letter  from 
Father  Vercruysse  to  Father  Broeckaert,  St.  Ignatius'  Mission,  June  12, 
1862.) 

10  Captain  Mullan's  report.  Cf.  Father  De  Smet,  Selected  Letters,  3d 
Series,  p.  169. 


316     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

With  the  approach  of  autumn,  Father  De  Smet  turned 
his  steps  homeward.  After  visiting  Bishop  Blanchet,  the 
first  apostle  in  that  country,  and  the  Sisters  of  Notre 
Dame,  established  in  several  cities  in  Oregon  and  California, 
he  embarked  at  San  Francisco  on  November  3d. 

For  many  long  months  the  Jesuits  in  St.  Louis  had  been 
without  news  of  the  missionary.  They  had  heard  only 
of  his  enforced  landing  at  Milk  River,  but  not  of  his 
arrival  at  Fort  Benton.  Could  he  with  his  companions 
have  fallen  under  the  hatchets  of  the  Sioux?  "What 
increases  our  anxiety,"  writes  Father  Arnould  from  Bel- 
gium, ' '  is  that  the  provisions  he  had  with  him  might  have 
excited  the  cupidity  of  the  Indians.  Moreover,  the 
crucifix  by  which  the  Indians  recognized  him,  which  he 
always  wore  on  his  breast,  had  by  mistake  been  left  in 
St.  Louis."11 

When  winter  came  and  he  did  not  return,  all  hope  was 
abandoned  and  the  suffrages  were  said  for  the  repose  of  his 
soul.12  One  can  imagine  the  astonishment  of  the  com- 
munity when,  on  December  17th,  he  suddenly  appeared 
at  the  University.  In  eight  months  he  had  traveled 
11,400  miles  without  suffering  injury  from  the  bands  of 
secessionists  or  from  the  Indians  in  revolt  against  the 
whites. 

Such  a  journey  had  entailed  excessive  fatigue,  and  the 
traveler  returned  to  St.  Louis  broken  in  health,  tortured 
with  neuralgia,  and  crippled  with  rheumatism.  Three 
months  later  he  writes :  ' 'It  is  only  on  rare  occasions  that 
I  am  able  to  leave  my  room  or  the  house.  My  greatest 
privation  is  my  inability  to  say  Mass.  Since  my  ordination 
in  1827  this  is  the  first  time  that  illness  has  deprived  me  of 
this  happiness."  13 

In  the  solitude  of  his  cell  he  looked  back  upon  the  past, 
and  thought  of  the  friends  who  were  gone.  How  many 
new-made  graves !  After  only  seven  years  of  the  episcopate 
Bishop  Van  de  Velde  of  Natchez  was  gone  to  his  reward; 

11  Letter  to  Father  Van  der  Hofstadt,  Sept.  1,  1863.  Father  De  Smet's 
crucifix  is  to-day  the  property  of  his  nephew,  Paul  De  Smet. 

12  Suffrages  in  the  Society  of  Jesus  are  the  prayers  and  Masses  offered 
by  each  member  for  the  deceased  members. 

13  To  Gustave  Van  Kerckhove,  March  15,  1864. 


A  TOUR  OF  THE  MISSIONS  317 

Father  Smedts,  a  fellow-companion  of  182 1  and  for  years 
Master  of  Novices  at  Florissant;  Father  Bax,  the  apostle 
of  the  Osages,  fallen  a  victim  of  his  charity  at  thirty-three 
years  of  age;  Father  Duerinck,  engulfed  in  the  waters  of 
the  Missouri,  while  en  route  to  St.  Louis  to  make  his  last 
vows; 14  Father  De  Vos,  a  Belgian  friend,  and  the  heroic 
Father  Nobili,  both  dying  just  after  founding  the  Cali- 
fornia Mission.  One  after  the  other  these  valiant  souls 
seemed  to  pass  before  the  missionary,  calling  him  to  eternal 
repose.  "Insensibly,"  he  writes,  "life  seems  to  ebb  away. 
I  am  now  in  my  sixty-fourth  year,  and  I  have  an  inward 
conviction  that  my  end  is  near.     Fiat  voluntas  Dei."  15 

To  his  ardent  nature,  death  was  preferable  to  inactivity : 
"After  enjoying  robust  health  for  so  many  years,  and 
after  so  many  years  of  travel,  I  find  the  change  hard  to 
bear.  But  we  are  in  God's  hands.  With  patience,  which 
I  pray  for,  and  aided  by  His  grace,  I  hope  to  be  able  to 
resign  myself  to  His  will."  16 

After  prayer,  family  letters  were  his  greatest  consolation. 
"I  hope,"  he  writes  his  brother,  "that  your  letters  and 
those  of  your  children  will  come  regularly  to  cheer  me.  I 
have  need  of  consolation,  and  this  you  will  not  refuse  me 
after  the  many  marks  of  kindness  that  you  have  shown  me 
for  forty-four  years.  Our  correspondence  must  continue 
to  the  very  end."  17 

However,  his  health  seemed  to  slowly  return,  and  the  old 
missionary  took  up  active  life  again.  "Though  my  legs 
are  unsteady,  my  heart  is  still  strong."  18  To  while  away 
the  weary  hours,  he  wrote  long  accounts  of  his  journeys 
to  the  Father  General  and  to  his  Belgian  friends.  As  soon 
as  he  was  able  to  get  about,  he  began  to  prepare  a  three- 
thousand-dollar  shipment  for  Oregon.  But  God  called 
him  to  another  scene  of  action.  The  Sioux,  the  tribe 
which  he  had  dreamed  of  evangelizing  for  twenty  years, 
and  which  had  declared  an  implacable  war  against  the 
whites,  were  to  henceforth  absorb  his  untiring  efforts  and 
bring  him  his  greatest  triumphs. 

14  Father  Duerinck,  born  at  St.  Gilles-lez-Termonde,  was  Father  De  Smet's 
cousin.  He  was  learned  in  the  natural  sciences,  and  refused  a  chair  in  the 
University  of  Cincinnati.  15  To  his  brother,  Feb.  26,  1864. 

16  To  his  brother,  March  10,  1864.  17  March  10,  1864. 

18  "When  the  legs  creak,  the  heart  is  good."     (Flemish  proverb.) 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE    REVOLT    OF    THE    SIOUX FATHER  DE  SMET'S  JOURNEY 

OF    PACIFICATION    (1864) 

Initial  Troubles  between  the  Whites  and  the  Indians — War  against  the 
Redskins — Discovery  of  Gold  Mines  Long  Known  to  Father  De  Smet — 
The  Reservations — One  Hundred  Thousand  Indians  Disappear  within 
Ten  Years — The  Uprising  of  the  Sioux  Tribes — The  Minnesota  Mas- 
sacre— Generals  Sibley  and  Sully  Are  Sent  to  Subdue  the  Rebels — 
Father  De  Smet's  Journey — He  Goes  up  the  Missouri  as  Far  as  Fort 
Berthold — The  Grosventres,  Aricaras,  and  Mandans — Conference  with 
the  Sioux — They  Accept  Terms  of  Peace — General  Sully's  Mistake — 
Father  De  Smet  Returns  to  St.  Louis. 

THE  difficulties  between  the  whites  and  the  Indians 
dated  back  to  the  seventeenth  century,  when  the 
English  landed  in  America.  Had  all  the  colonists  been  as 
humane  in  their  treatment  of  the  Indians  as  Lord  Balti- 
more and  William  Penn,  friendly  relations  could  easily 
have  been  maintained.  More  often,  alas!  the  white  man's 
injustice  and  cruelty  made  it  evident  to  the  Indian  that 
he  coveted  his  land,  but  desired  no  alliance  with  him.1 

At  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  colonies 
threw  off  England's  yoke,  but  continued  to  carry  on  a 
relentless  war  against  the  "red  man."  The  white  man's 
policy  of  exploiting  the  Indian's  lands  gradually  drove 
him  westward,  and,  finally,  almost  exterminated  the 
original  possessors  of  the  soil. 

1  "When  you  first  set  foot  on  our  lands,"  said  an  Iroquois  sachem  to  some 
officials  of  New  York,  "you  were  destitute  of  food.  We  gave  you  our  beans 
and  wheat,  and  fed  you  with  our  fish:  to-day  you  repay  us  by  cutting  our 
throats.  The  merchants  your  ships  landed  on  our  shores  we  loved  as  the 
apple  of  our  eyes,  and  gave  them  our  daughters  as  wives.  Among  the 
Indians  you  have  massacred  are  children  of  your  own  blood."  (Bancroft's 
"History  of  the  United  States,"  Vol.  II,  p.  564.) 

"From  that  time  the  destruction  of  the  Indians  seems  to  have  been  such 
a  fixed  policy,  that  in  some  parts  of  the  country,  notably  in  Virginia,  the 
law  forbade  making  peace  with  them."     (Ibid.,  Vol.  I,  p.  204.) 


THE  REVOLT  OF  THE  SIOUX  319 

The  trappers  and  fur- trading  companies 2  in  their  yearly 
journeys  up  the  Missouri  hunted  the  buffalo  so  relentlessly 
that  it  finally  became  extinct.  The  prairies  became  a 
desert,  and  the  Indians'  means  of  subsistence  were  de- 
stroyed.3 

But  killing  their  game  was  not  enough:  the  Americans 
seized  their  lands.  Behind  the  pioneers,  the  advance- 
guard,  pressed  the  emigrant  hordes,  that  not  only  populated 
the  Atlantic  coast,  but,  crossing  the  Alleghanies,  overran 
the  Mississippi  valley,  everywhere  building  cities,  laying  out 
farms,  and  starting  manufactories.  Before  them,  the 
Indians  must  either  retire  or  perish. 

In  1830  began  a  legal  spoliation,  when  the  Government 
drove  the  redskins  across  the  Missouri.  In  1854  a  new 
seizure  of  land  took  place.  A  ridiculous  treaty  made 
between  the  tribes  and  the  Government  divided  into  three 
parts  all  the  land  situated  west  of  the  Missouri  and  ex- 
tending to  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  two  best 
tracts  were  taken  by  the  Government,  and  formed  the 
territories  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska;  the  land  to  the 
south  remained  in  the  possession  of  the  Indians.  In  one 
year  alone  fifty  thousand  whites  rushed  to  the  new  land 
grants,  and  terrible  disorders  disgraced  the  beginnings  of 
the  colonization. 

We  remember  the  emigrant  invasion  of  California.  In 
1862  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Idaho  produced  the  same 
horrors  and  disorders  in  the  Kootenais  country,  which 
the  missionaries  had  evangelized.4  One  man  had  known 
for  twenty  years  of  the  gold  buried  in  the  mountains,  and 
that  man  was  Father  De  Smet.5    He  could  have  become 

2  The  principal  ones  were  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  of  Montreal,  the 
American  Fur  Company,  and  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company,  both  of 
St.  Louis. 

3  As  early  as  1846  Father  De  Smet  predicted  the  day  when  the  last  buf- 
falo would  be  contended  for  by  the  last  survivors  of  these  unhappy  tribes. 
("The  Oregon  Missions,"  p.  253.) 

4  "The  treasures  hidden  in  the  heart  of  the  mountains  attract  thousands 
of  miners  from  every  country.  With  them  come  blackguards,  gamblers, 
drunkards,  thieves,  and  assassins,  the  scum  of  society.  Lately  thirteen 
of  these  malefactors  have  been  hung,  and  seventy-two  others  are  condemned 
to  the  same  end."     (Letter  to  Charles  De  Smet,  St.  Louis,  Feb.  27,  1864.) 

6 "  In  1840 1  scaled  a  high  mountain  several  days'  journey  from  Sacramento. 
The  bed  of  the  torrent  that  descended  the  mountainside  seemed  to  me 
covered  with  golden  sand,  and  so  thickly  packed  that  I  could  scarcely  believe 


320     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

famous,  and  enriched  his  Society;  but  he  preferred  to 
delay  the  discovery  of  gold,  fearing  it  would  mean  ruin 
to  the  missions.  He  locked  the  momentous  secret  in  his 
breast 6  and  also  swore  the  Indians  to  secrecy,  predicting 
to  them  that  if  they  revealed  it  they  would  be  dispos- 
sessed of  their  lands. 

The  manner  in  which  the  Indians  were  defrauded  of  their 
lands  is  well  known.  The  whites  often  obtained  entire 
counties  for  a  song.  The  Osages  ceded  twenty-nine  million 
acres  for  an  annual  payment  of  a  thousand  dollars,  a  sum 
which  would  barely  suffice  to  pay  for  the  drinks  used  when 
the  transaction  was  made. 

In  exchange  for  what  they  lost,  the  natives  more  often 
received  lessons  in  lying  and  immorality.  In  speaking 
of  the  Kickapoos,  an  English  traveler  says:  "They  are 
completely  demoralized  by  living  near  civilization.  The 
men  are  given  over  to  drunkenness,  the  women  to  impurity, 
and  both  sexes  of  all  ages  are  royal  beggars,  whose  principal 
vocation  is  horse-stealing."  7 

These  facts  explain  the  language  used  by  the  famous 
Chief  Black  Hawk  in  addressing  the  American  agents : 

"Like  serpents,  the  whites  have  crept  into  our  midst  and 
taken  possession  of  our  homes ;  the  opossum  and  deer  have 
fled  at  their  approach.  We  are  dying  of  hunger  and  want. 
Contact  with  them  has  poisoned  us."8 

my  eyes.  I  passed  on  without  further  examination.  To-day  I  am  convinced 
it  was  the  precious  metal."  (Letter  to  Charles  De  Smet,  St.  Louis,  April 
26,  1849.)  On  another  occasion,  Father  De  Smet  learned  from  a  reliable 
Indian,  that  on  one  summit  in  the  Black  Hills  the  interstices  of  the  rocks 
were  filled  with  golden  sand.     (Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  1522.) 

6  "You  ask  me  to  tell  you  about  the  gold  lands,  and  to  send  you  a  map  of 
the  district  if  I  am  at  liberty  to  do  so.  You  must  understand,  dear  friend, 
why  I  have  kept  silence  up  to  the  present.  These  reasons  still  exist,  and  I 
cannot  in  conscience  deviate  from  my  former  line  of  conduct."  (To  V.  H. 
Campbell,  Sacramento  River,  Feb.  4,  1863.)  However,  when  Father  De 
Smet  saw  that  the  white  invasion  was  an  accomplished  fact,  he  consented 
to  speak.  (See  his  letter  to  Major-General  Pleasonton,  Aug.  22,  1865. 
Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  1 521-1523.)  Afterward,  the  name  De  Smet 
was  given  to  one  of  the  richest  mines  in  the  Black  Hills. 

7  Burton.     Cited  by  Marshall  in  "Christian  Missions,"  Vol.  II,  p.  441. 

8  Cited  by  Father  De  Smet,  Selected  Letters,  1st  Series,  p.  286. 

"The  Americans  in  general  were  not  a  party  to  this  injustice.  The 
Secretary  of  the  Interior,  McClellan,  in  his  report  for  1856  says:  'Our 
conduct  with  regard  to  the  destruction  of  a  people  which  Providence  has 
placed  under  our  protection,  is  unworthy  of  our  civilization,  and  outrages. 


THE  REVOLT  OF  THE  SIOUX  321 

It  is  true  that  the  Government  from  time  to  time  sent 
commissioners  to  the  West  to  pacify  the  country.  These 
men,  however,  were  less  zealous  in  repressing  the  excesses 
of  the  whites,  than  in  sanctioning,  by  treaties,  the  usur- 

every  feeling  of  humanity.' "    (Quoted  by  Father  De  Smet,  Selected  Letters, 
2d  Series,  p.  347.) 

"Our  nation  must  bear  a  heavier  guilt  than  others.  Its  conduct  with 
regard  to  the  Indian  is  shameful.  Every  imaginable  crime  has  been  com- 
mitted against  them:  unrelenting  persecution,  broken  treaties,  and  con- 
fiscation of  lands."  (Rev.  H.  W.  Beecher,  in  the  New  York  Evening  Express, 
Jan.  5,  1 861.) 

See  also  Helen  Hunt  Jackson,  "A  Century  of  Dishonor,"  p.  167;  the  pro- 
test of  Bishop  H.  B.  Whipple,  Protestant  Bishop  of  Minnesota;  and,  especial- 
ly, the  report  of  the  commission  appointed  by  President  Grant  to  investi- 
gate the  condition  of  the  Indian  tribes,  p.  339. 

Notwithstanding,  many  men  of  high  intelligence  furthered  the  destruction 
of  the  Indian  race.  "The  red  race  has  disappeared  from  the  shores  of  the 
Atlantic;  the  tribes  which  resisted  civilization  have  been  destroyed.  For 
my  part,  I  cannot  deplore  what  seems  the  result  of  a  divine  law.  Nor 
can  I  regret  that  the  wigwam  has  been  replaced  by  the  Capitol,  the  savages 
by  Christians,  the  red  squaw  given  way  to  the  white  woman,  nor  that  such 
men  as  Washington,  Franklin,  and  Jefferson  have  supplanted  Powhatan, 
Opechanecanough,  and  other  redskins,  respectable,  high-class  Indians 
though  they  may  have  been.  A  people  that  finds  itself  in  the  white  man's 
path  has  no  other  alternative  than  to  become  civilized  or  exterminated." 
(Quoted  by  G.  Kurth,  "Sitting  Bull,"  Brussels,  1879,  p.  7.) 

"To  civilize  the  Indians  was  the  duty  of  the  Americans,  for  in  no  other 
way  could  they  justify  the  usurpation  of  their  territory.  If  the  tribes 
living  almost  exclusively  upon  the  chase  occupied  a  vast  territory  not 
commensurate  with  the  number  of  inhabitants,  if  their  right  to  hold  lands 
whose  richness  they  could  not  exploit  could  be  contested:  then  the  whites 
who  seized  these  lands  in  order  to  develop  them,  were  bound  in  justice 
to  recompense  the  Indians,  to  instruct  them,  and  to  initiate  them  into 
agriculture  and  trade.  It  does  not  seem  that  the  Yankees  gave  much 
thought  to  ameliorating  the  condition  of  those  they  dispossessed.^  They 
declared  at  the  outset  that  the  Indians  resisted  civilization,  and  coined  the 
odious  phrase,  'the  only  good  Indian  is  a  dead  Indian.'  Unquestionably, 
the  Indians  were  idle,  unreliable,  vindictive,  and  cruel,  and  more  given  to 
imitating  the  white  man's  vices  than  his  industry.  Nevertheless,  they 
were  not  inferior  to  the  Hurons  of  Canada,  nor  the  Guaranis  of  South 
America,  and  if  the  former  became  industrious  farmers  and  the  latter  made 
the  golden  age  of  Christianity  blossom  again  on  the  shores  of  the  Parana, 
what  could  not  a  great  nation  have  accomplished  under  conditions  in- 
finitely more  favorable  than  those  in  which  the  ancient  civilizers  found 
themselves?  " 

The  results  obtained  by  the  missionaries  in  Kansas  and  Oregon  show  what 
the  tribes  in  the  United  States  were  capable  of.  Only  time  was  needed. 
"Imagine,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "two  races  brought  into  contact,  the 
one  keeping  its  barbarous  habits,  the  other  enjoying  all  the  advantages  of 
civilization.  How  many  years  must  elapse  before  there  is  complete  fusion 
between  the  two?  Neither  the  second  nor  the  third  generation  will  witness 
that  happy  result."     (To  Madam  Parmentier,  St.  Louis,  Feb.  24,  1858.) 


322     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

pations  committed  against  the  natives.  Tracts  of  land 
called  "reservations"  were  given  exclusively  to  the  Indians. 
An  agent  was  stationed  among  them  to  keep  peace,  to  punish 
the  whites  who  injured  the  Indians,  and  to  inform  the 
Government  at  Washington  of  any  untoward  happenings. 
More  often  than  not,  the  agent  betrayed  the  confidence 
of  the  chief.  His  position  being  political,  was  obtained 
through  favor,  and  held  only  so  long  as  his  party  was  in 
power.  He  also  retained  a  large  part  of  the  indemnities 
paid  the  Indians.9 

When  the  scandal  became  too  open,  and  protests  were 
made,  the  Government  was  forced  to  take  action  and 
the  agent  was  asked  to  resign.  But  he  departed  with  a 
well-filled  purse  and  the  assurance  that  he  would  not  be 
prosecuted. 

The  Indians  on  the  reservations  were  destined  not  to 
enjoy  for  very  long  their  restricted  domains,  for  valuable 
mines  discovered  on  what  was  thought  to  be  waste  land 
attracted  hordes  of  fortune-seekers  to  the  country.  The 
Indians  resisted  the  invaders  and  exchanged  shots.  Then 
the  Federal  troops  intervened,  new  treaties  were  imposed 
on  the  tribe,  and  again  they  were  forced  to  retire  to  a  new 
reservation,  often  far  distant,  and  destined  in  turn  to  be- 
some  the  ground  of  similar  disputes.10 

He  concludes  it  would  be  a  fatal  mistake  to  at  once  force  learning  and  agri- 
culture upon  the  Indian;  he  must  first  be  made  to  recognize  their  benefits. 
"But  Americans  do  not  know  how  to  wait.  The  Indian  cannot  civilize 
himself.  They  have  used  him  to  further  their  own  ends,  and  when  he 
has  rebelled,  they  have  massacred  him.  'The  tyranny  of  the  United 
States,'  says  an  eminent  economist,  'has  rendered  the  Indian  more  lawless 
and  less  civilized  than  he  was  in  his  primitive  condition.  The  physical 
and  moral  condition  of  these  peoples  has  steadily  declined,  and  they  have 
become  more  savage  as  they  have  become  more  wretched.'"  (De  Tocque- 
ville,  "De  la  Democratic  en  Amenque,"  Paris,  1840,  Vol.  II,  p.  266.) 

9  In  his  vicinity,  the  Indians  were  often  reduced  to  misery  and  poverty. 
"List  shoes  with  paper  soles  and  tin  spades  were  distributed  to  them; 
they  were  fed  on  soups  made  of  diseased  animals.  Squaws  picked  half- 
digested  grain  out  of  the  cavalry  horses'  manure,  and  gave  it  to  their  children 
to  keep  them  from  dying  of  hunger."  (Bishop  Whipple  of  Minnesota,  quoted 
by  G.  Kurth,  "Sitting  Bull,"  p.  152.) 

10  "The  Creeks  were  forced  twelve  times  to  change  their  place  of  abode, 
and  the  whole  tribe  was  finally  wiped  out  by  General  Jackson,  afterward 
President  of  the  United  States."  (Marshall,  "Christian  Missions,"  Vol.  II, 
p.  440.) 

"In  1862  the  Winnebagoes,  heretofore  on  friendly  terms  with  the  whites, 
were  driven  from  their  reservation  in  Minnesota  to  the  banks  of  the  Mis- 


THE  REVOLT  OF  THE  SIOUX  323 

"A  tree  too  often  transplanted  perishes,"  says  an  Indian 
proverb.  If  to  the  steady  invasion  of  a  territory  are  added 
the  methods  of  destruction  above  indicated,  it  can  be 
understood  how  in  ten  years,  from  1850  to  i860,  the  num- 
ber of  Indians  in  the  United  States  fell  from  400,000  to 
300,000 — a  loss  exceeding  any  heretofore  recorded. 

Father  De  Smet  was  an  eye-witness  of  the  events  which 
transpired  during  these  sad  years,  and  writes  in  1862: 
"Heaven  will  mete  out  justice  to  a  country  that  permits 
such  atrocities. "  n  Then  alluding  to  the  grave  crisis  through 
which  the  country  was  passing,  he  adds:  "The  civil 
war  is  in  my  opinion  a  punishment,  and  alas,  little  is  being 
done  to  propitiate  heaven."  12 

Another  war  was  about  to  bring  America  into  conflict 
with  the  victims  of  its  spoliation.  The  Sioux,  numbering 
between  thirty  and  forty  thousand,  resolved  to  guard 
their  independence,  so  retired  farther  and  farther  into  the 
wilds,  and  there  lived  by  hunting.  Their  different  tribes 
occupied  a  vast  quadrilateral,  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Canada,  on  the  west  by  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  on  the 
east  by  the  Sioux  and  Red  rivers.  The  Missouri  with 
its  tributaries  flowed  through  this  desolate  region. 

Repelled  by  the  aspect  of  the  Bad  Lands,  the  colonists 
sought  a  more  fertile  soil  in  the  Far  West.  The  Govern- 
ment had  agreed  to  erect  a  certain  number  of  forts  along 
the  river-front  to  protect  the  fur  trade,  and  to  assure  its 
relations  with  the  Indians.13 

souri,  to  a  barren  desert  devoid  of  game,  and  unfit  for  habitation.  Many- 
died  of  hunger.  In  vain  the  Indians  tried  to  flee,  hiding  in  bushes  on  the 
islands,  but  soldiers  stationed  along  the  river-front  barred  the  way  and 
forcibly  compelled  them  to  return  to  their  desolate  reservation."  (Selected 
Letters,  3d  Series,  p.  195.  Helen  Hunt  Jackson,  "A  Century  of  Dishonor," 
pp.  229-236,  393-395.) 

11  To  his  brother  Francis,  St.  Louis,  April  16,  1862. 

12  To  the  Mother  Superior  of  the  Sisters  of  St.  Mary,  March  1,  1862. 

13  The  smallest  incident  sufficed  to  provoke  bloody  conflicts.  "The 
Indians,  to  the  number  of  two  thousand,  had  repaired  to  the  appointed  spot 
at  the  time  fixed  by  the  Government  agent  to  receive  their  annuities  and 
presents.  They  waited  several  days  for  the  Commissioner  to  arrive,  and  in 
the  meantime  they  ran  out  of  provisions.  Then  a  Mormon  wagon-train, 
on  its  way  to  the  Territory  of  Utah,  came  peaceably  by  the  Indian  camp. 
One  of  the  party  was  dragging  after  him  a  lame  cow  hardly  able  to  walk. 
A  famished  savage,  out  of  pity  for  his  wife  and  children,  and  perhaps,  also, 


324     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

The  conference  held  at  Fort  Laramie  in  185 1  had 
guaranteed  to  the  Sioux  tribes  the  undisturbed  possession 
of  their  territory,  on  the  condition  that  the  highways 
should  be  left  open  and  that  forts  should  be  built  there. 
The  United  States  agreed  to  pay  the  Indians  an  annuity 
of  $50,000  for  fifty  years;  but  the  Senate,  without  con- 
sulting the  Indians,  changed  the  provisions  of  the  treaty 
and  limited  the  payments  to  fifteen  years.14 

The  rapidly  increasing  white  colonies  in  the  West  began 
to  invade  the  virgin  solitudes  of  the  central  districts. 
Agricultural  land  was  seized,  and  other  tracts  were  overrun 
by  gold-seekers.    Towns  sprang  up,  roads  were  made,  and 

from  compassion  for  the  suffering  animal,  killed  the  cow  and  offered  the 
Mormon  double  value  for  it  in  a  horse  or  a  mule. 

"Such  an  act  with  such  an  offer  under  such  circumstances  passes  as  very 
honest,  very  fair,  and  very  polite  in  a  wild  country.  Still  the  Mormon 
refused  the  proffered  exchange  and  went  and  filed  a  complaint  with  the 
commandant  of  Fort  Laramie,  which  is  in  the  neighborhood.  Like  the 
wolf  who  leaped  upon  the  lamb  to  devour  it,  crying:  'I  know  very  well  that 
you  all  hate  me,  and  you  shall  pay  for  the  rest,'  the  illustrious  commandant 
straightway  sent  out  a  young  officer  with  twenty  soldiers  armed  to  the 
teeth  and  with  a  cannon  loaded  with  grapeshot.  He  was  absolutely  de- 
termined to  capture  the  so-called  robber,  and  make  an  example  of  him. 
The  savages  were  astonished  at  the  menacing  turn  that  the  affair  of  the 
cow,  so  frivolously  begun,  had  taken;  they  begged  the  officer  to  take  one, 
two,'  three  horses  in  exchange— a  hundred  times  the  value  of  the  cow,  if 
necessary.  They  wished,  at  any  price,  to  'bury'  the  affair,  as  they  express 
it;  that  is  to  arrange  it  peaceably  and  quietly,  but  without  giving  up  to 
him  their  brother,  innocent  according  to  their  code.  The  officer  was  in- 
flexible, refused  all  offers;  he  must  absolutely  have  his  prisoner;  and  when 
the  latter  did  not  appear,  he  fired  his  cannon  into  the  midst  of  the  savages. 
The  head  chief,  whom  I  knew  well,  the  noblest  heart  of  his  nation,  fell 
mortally  wounded,  and  a  number  of  braves  beside  him.  At  this  unex- 
pected massacre  the  Indians  sprang  to  arms  and,  letting  fly  hundreds  of 
arrows  from  all  sides,  they  instantly  annihilated  the  aggressors  and  provo- 
cators.  Will  you  in  Europe  believe  this  tale  of  a  cow?  And  yet  such  is  the 
origin  of  a  fresh  war  of  extermination  upon  the  Indians  which  is  to  be  carried 
out  in  the  course  of  the  present  year."     (Chittenden-Richardson,  pp.  1218, 

The  American  reprisals  outrivaled  the  Indian  methods,  for  during  the 
following  summer  an  army  of  about  four  thousand  men,  commanded  by 
General  Harney,  penetrated  into  the  desert.  Upon  the  River  Platte  they 
came  upon  the  Indians,  who,  knowing  themselves  inferior  in  numbers,  asked 
for  peace.  While  the  chiefs  were  in  conference  with  the  General,  the  whites 
surrounded  the  Indians,  cut  off  their  retreat,  and  gave  the  signal  to  mas- 
sacre. Eighty  Sioux,  among  them  women  and  children,  were  killed.  An 
officer  announcing  the  victory  wrote:  "It  was  the  most  splendid  sight  I 
ever  beheld. ' '     (Quoted  by  Father  De  Smet  in  a  letter  to  Father  Terwecoren, 

Oct.  5,  1855-)  „  „.  , 

14  Helen  Hunt  Jackson,  "A  Century  of  Dishonor,     p.  75. 


THE  REVOLT  OF  THE  SIOUX  325 

the  Pacific  Railway  spanned  the  continent.  The  region 
of  the  Upper  Missouri  became  part  of  the  Republic,  and 
formed  the  Territories  of  Dakota,  Wyoming,  and  Montana. 

With  rage  in  their  hearts,  the  Sioux  watched  the  steady 
advance  of  the  colonists  and  from  day  to  day  their  com- 
plaints became  more  bitter:  "Neither  the  buffalo  nor 
antelope  can  subsist  upon  land  trodden  by  the  white  man. 
We  must  not  wait  until  the  pale-face  has  exterminated  the 
game  that  feeds  our  families;  let  us  defend  the  desert: 
it  is  our  property  and  our  life!" 

When  hostilities  broke  out  between  the  North  and 
South,  the  Indians  judged  the  moment  propitious  for 
repelling  the  invasion.  England  supported  their  cause, 
and  sent  them  arms  through  the  half-breed  Canadians 
living  on  the  border.15  War-hatchets  were  unearthed, 
the  tomahawk  brandished,  and  the  eagle  feathers  were 
brought  forth.16  The  Sioux  thirsted  for  the  white  man's 
blood;  upon  the  Minnesota  border  in  three  days17  they 
slew  nearly  a  thousand  victims  and  destroyed  property 
valued  at  two  million  dollars. 

Forthwith  the  United  States  sent  an  army  against  them, 
commanded  by  General  Sibley,  which  engaged  in  several 
skirmishes,  dispelled  the  enemy,  and  made  many  prisoners. 
Thirty-eight  Sioux  were  condemned  to  the  gallows.  A 
priest  visited  them  in  prison,  and  all  but  five  asked  for 
baptism.  A  few  were  sufficiently  instructed  to  make  their 
first  communion  on  Christmas  day.  As  he  saw  them  calm, 
almost  joyful  in  the  presence  of  death,  the  missionary  was 
unable  to  restrain  his  emotions:  "It  is  thus,"  he  said, 
"that  Christians  of  a  day  meet  death."18 

Learning  of  the  fate  of  the  prisoners,  Father  De  Smet 
wrote  to  Washington  to  ask  to  have  them  kept  as  hostages, 
for  he  hoped  in  this  way  to  save  the  lives  of  the  whites 
who  were  still  in  the  power  of  the  Sioux.19  His  petition 
was  refused,  and  before  long  came  news  of  fresh  atrocities. 

15  Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  80. 

16  The  number  of  eagle  feathers  a  savage  wore  on  his  head  indicated  the 
number  of  enemies  he  had  slain. 

17  From  the  18th  to  the  20th  of  August,  1862.  (See  Helen  Hunt  Jackson, 
"A  Century  of  Dishonor,"  p.  163.) 

18  See  Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  Vol.  XXXV,  p.  239,  et  seq. 

19  This  letter  is  cited  by  Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  15 10. 


326     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

The  Indians  succeeded  in  blocking  navigation  on  the 
Missouri.  When  they  saw  a  boat  approaching,  they  hid 
in  the  woods  or  behind  rocks,  and  showered  arrows  and 
bullets  upon  the  crew.20 

It  was  necessary  to  send  a  second  army  against  the  Sioux 
under  General  Sully,  who  marched  up  the  valley  of  the 
Missouri  to  join  forces  with  General  Sibley.  Both  armies 
had  several  engagements  with  the  enemy,  but  the  Indians 
at  each  attack  offered  but  slight  resistance  and  then  retired. 
They  appeared  to  have  submitted;  in  reality  they  had 
only  dispersed. 

The  most  scientific  strategy  failed  against  six  thousand 
warriors  who  were  determined  not  to  give  battle  until  they 
had  the  advantage  in  numbers  and  position.  Their  wives 
and  children  were  safe  far  from  the  scene  of  hostilities; 
they  had  no  towns,  forts,  or  arsenals  to  defend;  no  line 
of  retreat  to  cover,  and  they  were  not  encumbered  with 
either  baggage  or  beasts  of  burden.  Mounted  on  fiery 
horses,  they  unceasingly  harassed  the  enemy's  troops  and 
always  escaped  pursuit.  Although  in  sight,  they  were 
never  overtaken. 

The  campaign  of  1 862-1 863  had  cost  the  United  States 
more  than  twenty  million  dollars,  and  yet  the  end  was  not 
in  sight.  It  added  a  heavy  weight  to  the  strain  of  the  Civil 
War.  It  was  proposed  that  Father  De  Smet  be  appealed 
to  as  a  mediator.  Five  years  before  he  had  accomplished 
the  pacification  of  Oregon,  and  it  was  believed  that  he 
alone  could  induce  the  Missouri  tribes  to  lay  down  their 
arms. 

On  his  return  from  the  mountain  missions  Father  De 
Smet  passed  through  Washington.  The  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  and  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  took 
advantage  of  his  presence  to  request  him  to  go  to  the 
Sioux,  and  in  the  name  of  the  United  States  make  pro- 
posals for  peace.  He  was  to  act  in  concert  with  the 
commander-in-chief  of  the  troops  and  the  various  Gov- 
ernment agents.  Moreover,  the  expense  of  the  journey 
and  a  large  financial  compensation  were  offered  him  by 
the  Government. 

20  During  Father  De  Smet's  last  journey  to  the  mountains  he  had  ex- 
perienced one  of  their  attacks. 


JOURNEY  OF  PACIFICATION  327 

The  proposition  was  in  no  way  to  Father  De  Smet's 
liking.  "I  fear  to  lose  forever  my  prestige  with  the 
Indians,"  he  writes.  "Should  I  present  myself  to  them 
as  the  representative  of  the  'Chief  of  the  Big  Knives'  at 
Washington,21  no  longer  their  'Great  Father,'  but  now 
their  mortal  enemy,  it  would  place  me  in  rather  an  awkward 
situation.  I  have  written  to  the  Commissioner  to  say 
that  if  I  undertake  the  mission,  I  will  go  on  my  own  hook 
and  without  any  remuneration.  I  will  first  visit  the  Sioux 
who  have  remained  friends  of  the  whites,  and  then,  in  their 
company,  will  try  to  reach  their  brothers  in  revolt.  I 
will  do  my  utmost  to  induce  them  to  make  peace  and  bring 
about  an  understanding  between  them  and  the  General 
in  command  and  the  Government  agents."  22 

The  Government  recognized  the  wisdom  of  Father  De 
Smet's  plan,  accepted  his  terms,  and  the  missionary  began 
his  preparations  to  depart.  His  Superior  feared  he  was 
sending  him  to  certain  death,  seeing  him  set  out  alone  and 
unarmed  to  encounter  the  enraged  tribes,  drunk  with 
carnage.  But  Father  De  Smet,  although  alive  to  the 
dangers  of  the  enterprise,  tranquilly  wrote:  "One  thing 
reassures  me:   I  go  under  obedience."23 

Father  De  Smet  took  passage  on  a  steamboat  leaving  for 
the  Upper  Missouri  on  April  20,  1864.  The  captain, 
Mr.  Charles  Chouteau,  offered  his  former  teacher  the 
cabin  de  luxe,  in  which  an  altar  had  been  prepared  where 
he  might  daily  celebrate  Mass.  The  water  was  low  and 
sand-bars  numerous,  so  that  after  eight  days  they  had 
advanced  only  a  few  miles.  To  pass  the  time,  Father  De 
Smet  continued  his  study  of  the  Missouri,  "his  river,"  he 
called  it.  "I  observe  the  country,  jog  my  memory,  and 
consult  well-informed  travelers.  Then  I  write." 24  He 
wrote  to  acquaint  his  friends  in  Europe  with  the  varied 
and  grand  scenery  of  the  river  and  the  topography,  fauna, 
and  flora  of  this  unexplored  country.25  In  reading  these 
pages  one  is  reminded  of  the  account  written  two  centuries 

21  The  Indians'  name  for  the  President  of  the  United  States,  who  was  then 
Abraham  Lincoln. 

22  Letter  to  Father  Murphy,  St.  Louis,  March  30,  1864. 

23  Letter  to  Father  Terwecoren,  St.  Louis,  April  16,  1864. 

24  Selected  Letters,  3d  Series,  p.  189. 

25  Ibid.,  pp.  209-246. 


328     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

before  by  another  Jesuit,  Father  Marquette,  when  he  first 
visited  the  Mississippi  valley.26 

Our  missionary  took  advantage  of  these  enforced  stops 
to  explore  the  surrounding  forests  and  prairies,  where  he 
encountered  many  Indians  he  had  baptized  and  who 
remembered  him.  They  now  begged  him  to  marry  them 
and  baptize  their  children.  Sometimes  he  came  across 
a  Canadian  Catholic,  whose  instruction  had  been  most 
superficial,  to  judge  from  the  following:  "I  tried  to  give 
some  much-needed  advice  to  one  of  these  men,  and  urged 
him  always  to  be  ready  for  God's  call,  saying  it  might  come 
like  a  thief  in  the  night,  when  least  expected.  What  an 
irreparable  misfortune  it  would  be  to  appear  unprepared 
before  his  Judge!  Evidently  my  Canadian  friend  had 
understood  nothing  of  my  little  sermon,  as  he  was  thinking 
only  of  encounters  with  the  Sioux. 

"  'Father,'  he  replied,  'it  is  as  you  say;  they  come  upon 
us  unawares,  riddling  our  bodies  with  bullets  and  with 
arrows.  As  for  me,  I  am  not  at  all  prepared,  for  I  am  poor, 
and  without  means  of  defence.  But  now  I  shall  have  a 
Tjetter  chance,  for  I  have  sold  my  wood  to  the  boat  and  I 
can  buy  powder  and  lead.  Let  the  devilish  Sioux  come: 
they  will  find  me  ready  for  them.'"  27 

The  Sioux,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  continued  to  terrorize 
the  country.  On  May  ioth  the  news  came  that  three 
thousand  were  armed  and  lying  in  wait  to  stop  every 
steamboat  they  surprised  on  the  river,  and  that  they 
possessed  two  cannons,  many  guns,  and  an  abundance  of 
powder  and  bullets.  "In  a  few  days,"  writes  Father  De 
Smet,  "we  shall  be  able  to  judge  of  the  truth  of  this  in- 
formation. I  placed  myself  in  God's  hands,  and  under  the 
protection  of  the  holy  Virgin,  our  good  Mother.  I  came 
here  under  obedience,  to  carry  words  of  peace.  Of  a  truth 
the  time  is  critical ;  but  if  God  is  with  us,  who  can  be  against 
us?"28 

Nor  was  his  confidence  betrayed.  The  steamboat  ad- 
vanced unimpeded,  save  for  the  sand-bars  which  several 

26  J.  G.  Shea,  "Discovery  and  Exploration  of  the  Mississippi  Valley." 
New  York,  1852;  pp.  231-257.  Alfred  Hamy,  "Au  Mississippi.  La 
Premiere  exploration"  (1673),  Paris,  1903;    pp.  222-255. 

27  Selected  Letters,  3d  Series,  p.  200.  2S  Ibid.,  p.  198. 


JOURNEY  OF  PACIFICATION  329 

times  obliged  them  to  stop  near  the  forts,  in  order  to  land 
a  portion  of  the  cargo.  At  last,  on  June  9th,  they  reached 
Fort  Berthold,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Missouri. 
Not  far  away  there  were  living  together  in  a  single  village, 
the  Grosventres,  the  Aricaras,  and  the  Mandans.  These 
three  nations  had  not  entered  into  the  revolt  against  the 
whites,  so  Father  De  Smet  decided  to  remain  with  them, 
and  await  an  opportunity  of  getting  into  relations  with  the 
Sioux.  On  landing  he  sent  a  messenger  to  the  chiefs, 
announcing  the  object  of  his  visit,  and  inviting  them  to  a 
•conference,  and  while  awaiting  their  arrival  he  preached 
the  word  of  God  to  the  friendly  tribes.  A  providential 
event  contributed  largely  to  enhance  the  value  of  the 
religion  he  taught. 

The  preceding  year  a  long  drought  had  destroyed  the 
crops.  Not  discouraged,  the  Indians  had  put  under 
cultivation  a  thousand  acres  of  land  with  no  implements 
save  hoes,  broken  spades,  crooked  sticks,  and  the  shoulder- 
blades  of  buffaloes.  But  again  this  year,  a  dry  spring 
threatened  ruin  to  the  crop.  The  distressed  Indians  had 
recourse  to  Father  De  Smet.  "'Black  Robe,'  they  said, 
'you  who  have  such  power,  can  you  not  also  make  a  little 
rain  come?'  I  answered  them  that  I  had  not  that  power, 
that  the  Great  Spirit  alone  is  omnipotent.  'Let  us  im- 
plore Him  together  and  offer  him  our  hearts.  I  will  say 
the  greatest  of  prayers  [the  Mass]!'  The  next  day  the 
clouds  gathered  and  rain  fell  for  twenty-four  hours.  A 
few  days  later,  after  renewed  prayers,  a  heavier  shower 
followed,  the  fields  became  green,  the  grain  formed  in  the 
ears,  and  everything  portended  a  rich  harvest.  These 
favors  from  on  high  made  a  deep  impression  on  the 
Indians."  They  followed  assiduously  the  missionary's  in- 
structions. Mothers  brought  their  children  by  hundreds 
to  be  baptized;  the  chiefs  themselves  undertook  to  erad- 
icate vice  and  do  away  with  superstition. 

In  the  meantime  the  news  of  the  great  Black  Robe's 
arrival  had  reached  the  Sioux,  and  on  July  8th  they 
encamped  about  three  hundred  strong  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  Missouri.  Their  presence  terrified  the  whites 
who  were  defending  the  fort.  But  Father  De  Smet  went 
•out  alone  to  meet  them,  crossed  the  river  in  a  boat,  and 
22 


330    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

was  received  with  lively  demonstrations  of  friendship. 
The  warriors  declared  they  had  come  for  the  express 
purpose  of  an  interview  with  him.  The  conference  lasted 
three  hours.  The  chief  seemed  inclined  to  make  peace 
and  received  favorably  the  proposals  of  the  United  States. 

Two  days  later  came  a  message  from  the  Santees,  a 
powerful  tribe  living  on  the  Canadian  border.  This  tribe 
had  been  the  prime  movers  in  the  Minnesota  massacre. 
They  now  wished  strongly  to  see  the  Black  Robe  and  learn 
from  him  the  Government's  communications.  Father  De 
Smet  wished  to  go  to  them  at  once  in  the  hope  of  inducing 
them  to  disarm,  but  he  could  not  act  without  consulting 
General  Sully,  who,  unfortunately,  was  burning  to  measure 
his  strength  with  the  Indians.  He  declared  that  this 
tribe  should  be  punished  before  there  could  be  question 
of  peace.  Such  an  attitude  rendered  Father  De  Smet's 
mission  impossible,  and  rather  than  compromise  his  role 
of  peacemaker  with  the  Indians,  he  decided  to  return  to 
St.  Louis  and  communicate  with  the  Government.  Did 
Washington  recognize  Sully's  mistake?  The  General  was 
to  learn  that  the  words  of  a  Jesuit  were  more  powerful  than 
armed  force.  A  few  months  later  he  asked  the  Black 
Robe  to  intervene. 

Although  Father  De  Smet's  official  mission  had  failed, 
spiritually  he  had  achieved  a  great  success.  Eight  hun- 
dred baptisms,  many  marriage  ceremonies,  the  Gospel 
preached  to  three  or  four  nations,  and  a  prospect  of  found- 
ing "reductions"  upon  the  Upper  Missouri — such  were  the 
fruits  of  his  four  months'  journey. 


CHAPTER    XXII 

SEVENTH    JOURNEY     TO     EUROPE — LAST    JOURNEY    TO     THE 
MOUNTAINS    (1865-1866) 

A  Bad  Crossing — Father  De  Smet  Assists  in  Rome  at  the  Beatification 
of  Blessed  Peter  Canisius — Charles  Rogier  Manifests  His  Regard  for 
Father  De  Smet — He  is  Made  a  Knight  of  the  Order  of  Leopold — Fare- 
well to  Belgium — Father  De  Smet  Declines  a  Third  Time  the  Honor 
of  the  Episcopate — He  Goes  Up  the  Missouri  as  Far  as  Fort  Benton 
— He  Confers  Baptism  on  Hundreds  of  Children — The  Yanktons — 
Pananniapapi. 

FATHER  DE  SMET  had  foreseen  that  he  would  soon 
have  to  return  to  the  Sioux,  and  was  preparing  to  do 
so,  when  an  order  came  from  the  Provincial  in  October, 
1864,  to  leave  for  Europe.  Men  were  needed  for  both  the 
colleges  and  missions;  moreover,  the  Civil  War  had 
exhausted  their  resources,  and  another  appeal  must  be 
made  to  Belgium. 

The  missionary  was  happy  at  the  thought  of  again  seeing 
his  family.  To  them  he  writes,  "This  good  news,  I  hope, 
will  be  as  agreeable  to  you  as  it  is  to  me.  Often  in  my 
poor  prayers,  and  when  far  off  in  the  desert,  I  have  asked 
this  favor  of  heaven."  1 

His  crossing  was  stormy,  and  from  that  time  dates  the 
malady  which  was  to  become  fatal.2  For  weeks  he  suf- 
fered from  insomnia,  constant  fever,  and  frequent  hemor- 
rhages. His  suffering  condition  did  not,  however,  prevent 
him  from  starting  for  Rome  as  soon  as  he  landed.  The 
Father  General  received  him  with  cordiality  and  invited 
him  to  attend  the  beatification  of  Blessed  Peter  Canisius 
during  November. 

He  tells  us  he  suffered  intensely  from  seasickness  during 
the  journey  from  Marseilles  to  Civita  Vecchia.     "You 

xTo  his  brother  Francis,  St.  Louis,  Oct.  9,  1864. 
2  Bright's  disease. 


332     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

may  not  believe  it,  but  the  rolling  and  pitching  of  the  ship 
acted  as  a  remedy.  Headache,  blood-spitting,  lack  of 
appetite,  etc.,  disappeared  upon  nry  arrival  in  Rome. 
The  next  day  the  fever  was  so  slight  that  I  was  able  to  be 
present  at  the  beatification  of  our  illustrious  saint.  I  shall 
never  forget  that  ceremony,  and  I  thank  God  for  permitting 
me  to  witness  it.  The  Holy  Father  declared  in  our  presence 
that  this  beatification  was  the  most  glorious  and  the 
nearest  to  his  heart  of  all  those  that  had  taken  place  during 
his  pontificate. 

"I  have  spoken  to  you  about  my  fever,  and  now  I  will 
tell  you  how  I  got  rid  of  it.  I  climbed  to  the  dome  of 
St.  Peter's.  The  remedy,  though  most  fatiguing,  was 
salutary,  and  since  then  my  pulse  has  not  been  so  rapid."  3 
The  invalid  possessed,  undoubtedly,  a  robust  constitution, 
but  the  preceding  lines  seem  to  have  been  written  with  the 
object  of  reassuring  his  friends. 

Before  leaving  Rome  he  visited  the  celebrated  basilicas 
and  the  places  consecrated  by  the  blood  of  the  martyrs, 
and  on  the  feast  of  St.  Cecilia  he  descended  into  the 
catacombs.  Several  times  he  was  received  in  audience 
by  the  Pope,  who  showed  great  affection  for  him  and  be- 
stowed many  favors  on  his  missions.  During  his  stay  in 
Belgium  he  gave  only  a  few  days  to  his  family,  and  set  out 
in  the  depth  of  winter  upon  his  arduous  begging  tour. 
Several  times  he  was  forced  by  illness  to  interrupt  his 
travels — nevertheless  he  canvassed  Holland,  Luxemburg, 
England,  Ireland,  and  his  native  country.  The  sight  of 
this  old  missionary  who  had  come  from  such  a  distance 
to  ask  for  help,  created  a  profound  impression.  Con- 
tributions flowed  in,  and  many  young  men  answered  the 
call  to  the  apostolate. 

Such  self-sacrificing  devotion  commanded  the  respect  of 
even  unbelievers.  Charles  Rogier,  one  of  the  ministers 
of  Leopold  I,  and  anything  but  clerical  in  his  feelings  and 
opinions,  expressed  great  esteem  for  Father  De  Smet.  He 
invited  the  missionary  to  his  table  and  lent  a  willing  ear 
to  his  discourses  upon  religion;  he  marveled  that  a  man 
could  travel  such  distances  and  suffer  such  fatigue  and 
privation  for  what  he  called  the  salvation  of  souls.     "If 

3  To  his  nephew  Charles,  Rome,  Nov.,  1864. 


SEVENTH  JOURNEY  TO  EUROPE  333 

you  should  hear  some  day  that  I  was  on  my  death-bed 
and  that  I  had  asked  for  you,  would  you  cross  the  ocean 
for  that?"  "I  would  not  hesitate  an  instant,"  replied  the 
Jesuit;  upon  which  Rogier  threw  himself  upon  the  mis- 
sionary's neck  and  embraced  him  before  the  assembled 
guests.  Several  years  later  when  the  statesman  felt  his 
end  approaching,  he  called  for  a  Jesuit 4  and  was  reconciled 
with  God.  He,  moreover,  honored  himself  in  making 
Father  De  Smet  a  Knight  of  the  Order  of  Leopold,5  a  dis- 
tinction which  the  missionary  received  with  his  usual 
modesty.  At  his  family's  insistence  he  consented  to  have 
his  portrait  painted,  wearing  the  distinguished  decoration, 
and  after  that  nothing  more  was  heard  of  it.  To  the  last 
he  wore  no  other  cross  save  that  of  the  missionary,  the 
cross  that  had  redeemed  the  world,  and  to  which  he  owed 
his  best  achievements. 

The  time  for  departure  was  drawing  near.  His  labors 
had  borne  abundant  fruit.  Besides  great  financial  assist- 
ance and  other  gifts,6  he  had  gained  twelve  new  mission- 
aries for  America,  of  whom  five  were  Belgians,  four 
Dutch,  and  three  Irish.  Four  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame  de 
Namur  also  accompanied  him  to  the  New  World.  Before 
sailing  he  wrote  the  following  lines :  ' '  Here  I  am  once  again 
leaving  my  country,  my  family,  friends,  benefactors,  and 
brothers  in  religion.  A  fond  farewell  to  all,  perhaps  for- 
ever, until  the  last  meeting  in  heaven.  This  separation — 
and  why  should  I  not  admit  it  ? — is  for  me  a  painful  sacrifice ; 
but  I  hope  to  continue  to  work  for  God's  glory  and  the 
salvation  of  souls.  It  is  a  supernatural  love  that  draws 
me  from  Belgium  and  all  that  I  love  there.  When  I  am 
not  with  my  dear  Indians,  I  feel  as  if  something  was  lacking, 
and,  despite  the  kind  reception  that  I  receive  everywhere, 
there  is  a  void  within  me,  until  I  get  back  to  my  beloved 
Rocky  Mountains.  Only  then  am  I  satisfied  and  happy. 
Hcuc  requies  mea.  I  have  spent  the  best  part  of  my  life 
among  the  Indians  and  to  them  I  wish  to  consecrate  my 
few  remaining  years;   in  their  midst  I  wish  to  die."  7 

4  Father  Delcourt. 

6  The  royal  order  was  dated  June  18,  1865. 

m  6  These  gifts  he  owed  to  the  generosity  of  the  Dames  de  l'CEuvre  des 
Eglises  pauvres  of  Brussels. 

7  To  the  editor  of  Precis  Historiques,  Ostend,  June  2,  1865. 


334     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Upon  his  return  to  America  the  missionary's  name  was 
again  mentioned  for  episcopal  honors.  The  Catholics  were 
becoming  so  numerous  in  the  West  that  the  Archbishop 
of  St.  Louis  asked  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  to  create  an 
apostolic  vicariate  in  Montana,  and,  desiring  that  the 
incumbent  be  a  Jesuit,  proposed  Father  De  Smet.  The 
latter  immediately  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Father  General, 
which  reveals  his  profound  humility :  "If,  as  the  Reverend 
Father  Provincial  assures  me,  my  name  figures  among  those 
sent  by  Archbishop  Kenrick,  it  is  only,  I  imagine,  to 
complete  the  list,  which  usually  comprises  three  names. 
In  the  sincere  belief  that  I  possess  neither  the  virtues  nor 
ability  that  such  an  office  demands,  and  not  doubting  that 
your  Paternity  will  be  consulted  in  regard  to  an  affair  of 
such  importance,  I  am  not  uneasy.  My  sole  desire  is  to 
live  and  die  faithful  to  my  vocation  and  to  the  obedience 
I  owe  my  Superiors,  and  from  this  determination,  thanks 
be  to  God,  nothing  can  move  me."  8 

Providence  granted  his  wish,  and  Father  De  Smet  was 
spared  the  burden  he  had  feared  would  be  imposed  upon 
him.  His  mind  now  at  ease,  his  great  preoccupation  was 
the  distribution  of  the  money  and  goods  he  had  brought 
back  from  Europe. 

On  April  9,  1866,  he  left  St.  Louis  to  go  by  boat  to 
Fort  Benton,  the  post  nearest  to  the  mountain  missions. 
This  meant  a  journey  of  more  than  three  thousand  miles, 
through  a  country  at  war  with  the  whites.  But  with  his 
usual  confidence  and  faith,  he  placed  himself  under  the 
protection  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  asked  that  a  lamp 
should  be  kept  burning  day  and  night  before  her  picture 
until  he  returned. 

The  spring  thaw  had  brought  about  a  sudden  rise  in  the 
river:  enormous  blocks  of  ice  crushed  steamboats,  trees 
were  uprooted,  and  houses  carried  away.  To  breast  the 
current,  the  captain  had  recourse  to  a  windlass,  but  the 
cable  broke  and  the  boat  swept  along  in  the  eddies  until 
she  crashed  against  a  rock.  She  began  to  leak  badly, 
but  the  deck-hands  repaired  the  damage  and  the  boat 
continued  on  her  way.    • 

As  they  were  about  to  enter  the  Sioux  country  a  cannon 

8  St.  Louis,  March,  1866. 


SEVENTH  JOURNEY  TO  EUROPE  335 

was  placed  in  the  prow  of  the  boat,  pistols  and  guns  were 
made  ready,  and  every  night  sentinels  stood  guard — a 
needless  precaution,  as  the  enemy  gave  no  sign  of  life. 
"Our  arms,"  writes  Father  De  Smet,  "have  been  used 
only  to  kill  game,  which  is  served  on  our  already  abundant 
table."  9 

It  was  evident  that  Providence  was  caring  for  the 
travelers.  "We  have  passed  thirteen  boats  that  started 
from  ten  to  fifteen  days  ahead' of  us.  We  have  been  carried 
as  on  the  wings  of  angels."10  And  yet  our  missionary's 
life  was  not  wholly  satisfactory.  Far  from  his  brothers  in 
religion,  and  with  little  in  common  with  the  mercantile 
interests  of  the  boat's  passengers,  he  felt  lonely,  and  often 
repeated  the  words  of  the  Psalmist,  "How  good  and  how 
pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity."11 

He  used  his  leisure  to  reread  St.  Francis  Xavier's  letters, 
his  model  in  the  apostolate.  "This  book  fills  my  heart 
with  consolation:  two  passages  especially  have  touched 
me:  'Among  other  intercessions,  I  have  recourse  to  the 
children  I  have  baptized  and  whom  God,  in  His  infinite 
mercy,  called  to  Himself  before  they  had  stained  their 
baptismal  robe.  They  number  over  a  thousand,  and  I 
invoke  them  to  obtain  for  me  the  grace  to  accomplish 
God's  will  in  the  way  He  wills  it,  upon  this  earth  of  exile 
and  misery.'  'You  can  imagine  what  my  life  must  be 
here,  not  understanding  what  is  said  to  me,  and  unable 
to  make  myself  understood.  Yet  I  baptize  new-born  chil- 
dren, for  which  ceremony  I  need  no  interpreter,  nor  do  I 
need  one  in  my  ministrations  to  the  poor,  who  can  make 
me  understand  their  sufferings  and  misery.'"12 

It  is  not  surprising  that  Father  De  Smet  should  share 
the  sentiments  of  this  illustrious  apostle,  for  his  own  life 
was  a  continual  service  of  charity  and  devotion.  Even 
upon  the  boat  he  found  an  opportunity  to  bring  souls  to 
God.  He  baptized  a  Protestant,  and  prepared  several 
passengers  to  make  their  entrance  into  the  Church.  The 
Catholics  attended  Mass  and  received  communion  every 
Sunday. 

9  Selected  Letters,  3d  Series,  p.  356.  10  Ibid.,  p.  354. 

11  Psalms  cxxxii,  1. 

12  Selected  Letters,  3d  Series,  p.  400. 


336     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

But  the  Indians  were  ever  his  special  care.  Now  more 
than  ever  were  they  deserving  of  pity.  In  many  places 
the  whites  had  left  them  but  barren  lands,  where  even 
wild  beasts  could  not  exist.  The  annuities  were  not  paid 
regularly,  and  the  agents  sometimes  retained  a  part  of 
them,  or  substituted  barrels  of  whiskey  or  useless  goods  in 
place  of  the  money.  The  winter  was  long  and  severe, 
and  many  families  died  of  hunger;  others,  after  they  had 
killed  their  horses  and  dogs,  lived  on  wild  roots,  and  were 
happy  when  they  could  pick  up  the  refuse  from  the  soldiers' 
kitchen  at  Fort  Sully,  or  rats  that  had  been  thrown  over 
the  stockade.13 

Father  De  Smet  relieved  this  misery  as  much  as  lay  in 
his  power.  He  spoke  to  them  of  the  Great  Spirit,  of  the 
future  life  and  of  the  joys  reserved  for  those  who  have 
shunned  lies  and  injustice.  He  baptized  nearly  five  hun- 
dred children,  the  greater  number  of  whom  he  was  per- 
suaded would  die  before  attaining  the  age  of  reason. 
"The  regeneration  of  these  poor  little  ones  is  for  me  a 
subject  for  rejoicing.  I  have  a  deep  conviction  that 
baptism  has  opened  heaven  to  numberless  souls  whom  I 
have  had  the  happiness  of  meeting  in  my  long  sojourns 
among  the  Indian  tribes."  14 

At  last  on  June  7th,  after  a  two  months'  journey,  he 
arrived  at  Fort  Benton,  where,  alas!  he  did  not  find  his 
fellow-missionaries  of  St.  Peter's  Mission :  the  war  between 
the  whites  and  the  Blackfeet  had  forced  the  Fathers  to  re- 
tire, for  a  time  at  least,  to  St.  Ignatius'  Mission.  The 
church  ornaments  and  sacred  vessels  which  he  had  brought 
for  the  missions,  he  left  for  safe  keeping  with  the  officers 
at  the  Fort,  and  then  returned  to  St.  Louis. 

This  was  Father  De  Smet's  last  journey  up  the  Missouri 
to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  He  was  destined  never  again 
to  see  the  Oregon  tribes,  nor  the  heroic  missionaries  who 
shared  his  first  labors.  His  work  there  was  firmly  es- 
tablished; henceforth  he  would  be  able  to  labor  for  the 
other  tribes. 

In  descending  the  river,  he  stopped  several  days  with  the 

13  Cf.  Helen  Hunt  Jackson,  "A  Century  of  Dishonor,"  p.  166. 

14  Selected  Letters,  3d  Series,  p.  401. 


SEVENTH  JOURNEY  TO  EUROPE  337 

Yanktons,  who  were  encamped  near  the  mouth  of  the 
James  River.  Chief  Pananniapapi,  "the  man  that  Strikes 
the  Ree,"  was  one  of  the  noblest  types  of  men  of  his  race. 
He  had  met  Father  De  Smet  for  the  first  time  in  1844  and 
had  attended  his  instructions,  receiving  from  him  the 
miraculous  medal.  From  that  time  he  had  added  the 
practice  of  admirable  virtues  to  his  invincible  courage,  and 
he  professed  toward  the  Blessed  Virgin  a  touching  piety. 
During  the  cholera  epidemic  he  exposed  his  miraculous 
medal  in  the  camp,  and,  following  his  example,  the  Yank- 
tons,  three  thousand  in  number,  assembled  to  venerate  it. 
The  same  day  the  plague  disappeared. 

Time  and  again  the  Methodists  who  endeavored  to 
penetrate  to  the  tribe  were  kept  at  a  distance  by  the  chief, 
who  said  to  them:  "You  wish  to  enrich  your  wives  and 
children  at  our  expense.  The  Black  Robe  has  neither 
wife  nor  child;  his  heart  is  not  divided;  he  lives  only  for 
God  and  the  happiness  of  the  people  who  surround  his 
cabin."     And  the  old  man  remained  obdurate. 

For  twenty-two  years  he  had  looked  forward  to  the  day 
when  he  should  receive  baptism.  The  hour  of  grace  had 
now  struck.  Father  De  Smet  completed  his  instruction 
and  received  him  into  the  Church.  Once  a  Christian, 
Pananniapapi 's  only  thought  was  to  procure  the  same 
happiness  for  his  people. 

Thus  the  great  missionary,  in  the  twilight  of  his  years, 
realized  his  life's  dream,  the  evangelization  of  the  Mis- 
souri tribes.  A  rich  harvest  was  promised;  not  a  single 
Indian  refused  to  hear  the  word  of  God,  not  a  wigwam 
remained  closed.  The  Grosventres,  Aricaras,  and  Man- 
dans  asked  repeatedly  for  a  Black  Robe.  The  Yanktons 
offered  to  contribute  two  or  three  thousand  dollars  yearly 
to  the  support  of  the  missions. 

General  Sully  himself  now  asked  for  a  missionary,15 
as  he  foresaw  that  the  Sioux  could  only  be  conquered 
through  the  Gospel. 

15  Cf.  Chittenden-Richardson,  p.  1279. 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

SECOND    JOURNEY    OF    PACIFICATION    (1867) 

Age  of  Infirmities — The  Whites  Continue  to  Harass  the  Indians — The 
Massacre  of  Six  Hundred  Cheyennes — The  Insurrection  Spreads — 
Father  De  Smet  is  Sent  upon  a  New  Mission — A  Journey  through 
Iowa — "Major  De  Smet" — Generals  Sully  and  Parker  Join  the  Mis- 
sionary— Conference  with  the  Indians  on  the  Borders  of  the  Missouri — 
Iron  Shield's  Discourse — Father  De  Smet  Pacifies  the  Tribes — 
Father  De  Smet  Wishes  to  Meet  the  Tribes  of  the  Interior — Fatigue 
Compels  Him  to  Return  to  St.  Louis. 

FATHER  DE  SMET  returned  to  St.  Louis  at  the 
beginning  of  August.  A  torrid  summer  had  followed 
a  rigorous  winter;  the  thermometer  stood  at  ioo°  in  the 
shade,  and  cholera  was  raging.  The  sudden  change  from 
pure,  high  mountain  air  to  the  stagnant  air  of  a  pest- 
ridden  city  seriously  affected  his  health.  For  several 
months  he  suffered  from  overpowering  fatigue,  excruciating 
rheumatic  pains,  and,  even  worse,  deafness  threatened  him. 

Autumn,  however,  brought  him  some  measure  of  relief. 
With  his  customary  cheerfulness,  he  writes  to  one  of  his 
nephews:  "My  health,  thank  God,  is  fairly  good  now.  I 
seldom  consult  a  doctor  or  take  medicine.  For  three 
months  two  little  bottles,  delicate  attentions  from  the 
druggist,  have  been  standing  on  my  chimneypiece.  Until 
now  I  have  only  looked  at  them,  but  I  have  taken  the  pre- 
caution to  see  that  they  do  not  evaporate,  for  they  may 
be  useful  some  day.  I  will  soon  enter  upon  my  sixty- 
seventh  year,  an  age  when  man's  garments  cover  a  multi- 
tude of  infirmities.  Yet  I  shall  end  by  believing  that  I 
carry  my  years  lightly,  for  every  one  tells  me  so,  and  people 
laugh  when  I  say  my  end  is  drawing  near."  1 

In  the  meantime  the  war  against  the  tribes  in  revolt  was 
still  going  on,  and  while  Father  De  Smet,  at  the  price  of 

1  To  Paul  De  Smet,  Nov.  26,  1866. 


-SECOND  JOURNEY  OF  PACIFICATION     339 

unspeakable  fatigue,  labored  to  bring  about  peace,  the 
Americans  seemed  to  take  pleasure  in  thwarting  his  efforts. 
Soldiers  and  colonists  alike  unceasingly  exasperated  the 
Indians.2 

In  November,  1864,  an  act  of  revolting  barbarism  had 
taken  place  in  Colorado.  Six  hundred  Cheyennes,  after  re- 
fusing to  join  the  warring  tribes,  sought  refuge  near  Fort 
Lyon  and  begged  protection  of  the  whites.  Soon,  however, 
Colonel  Chivington,  a  former  Methodist  minister,  arrived 
at  the  head  of  a  thousand  men  to  give  chase  to  the  Indians, 
and,  despite  their  friendly  assurances,  the  Cheyennes  were 
massacred.  Not  content  with  taking  life,  they  subjected 
their  victims  to  unspeakable  outrages.  One  lieutenant 
killed  three  women  and  five  children  with  his  own  hands, 
and  took  savage  pleasure  in  scalping  them.3 

When  the  news  reached  Washington,  Congress  demanded 
an  investigation.  Numerous  reports  were  submitted,  then 
the  affair  was  pigeonholed.  Justice  was  not  meted  out 
to  the  offenders;  on  the  contrary,  certain  men  were  heard 
to  applaud  this  odious  butchery.  General  Carleton,  chief 
of  a  brigade  in  New  Mexico,  a  cynical  and  cruel  man, 
endeavored,  through  absurd  theories,  to  justify  his  conduct 

2  The  tribes  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Berthold,  as  we  know,  remained 
friendly  to  the  whites.  The  Government,  wishing  to  protect  them  against 
hostile  bands,  sent  them  troops;  these  were  under  no  restraint  and  gave 
themselves  up  to  brutality  and  libertinage.  "During  the  whole  winter," 
writes  Father  De  Smet,  "the  Indians  have  been  the  sport  of  the  captain, 
whose  sole  object  seemed  to  be  to  torture  them.  When  women  with  their 
starving  children  approached  the  Fort,  to  gather  disgusting  refuse  from  the 
soldiers'  kitchen,  they  were  chased  away  by  having  boiling  water  thrown 
on  their  ragged,  emaciated  bodies."  (To  Charles  De  Coster,  St.  Louis, 
Sept.,  1867.) 

"Preceded  by  the  announcement  to  their  agents  that  the  military  were 
able  to  chastise  any  tribes  who  should  molest  people  crossing  the  plains, 
and  that  the  Indians  would  be  required  to  keep  off  the  main  lines  of  travel, 
a  large  expedition  under  General  Hancock  marched  into  their  country. 
Some  of  the  results  of  that  expedition,  as  far  as  this  office  has  been  advised, 
were  the  destruction  of  a  large  village  of  Cheyennes  and  Sioux,  the  burning  of 
its  effects,  and  the  dispersing  of  its  terrified  occupants.  The  agents  m 
charge  of  the  Arapahoes,  Cheyennes,  Apaches,  Comanches,  and  Kiowas 
insist  that  it  cannot  be  shown  that  hostile  demonstrations  were  made 
by  any  of  them  as  tribes  or  bands,  or  by  any  considerable  number  of  them, 
but  that  they  should  be  regarded  as  peaceable,  excepting  the  few  uncon- 
trollable and  vicious,  such  as  may  be  found  in  all  communities."  (Annual 
Report  on  Indian  Affairs  by  the  Acting  Commissioner,  Nov.  15,  1867.) 

3  For  details  of  this  massacre,  see  Helen  Hunt  Jackson,  "A  Century  of 
Dishonor,"  p.  343,  et  seq. 


34o    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

and  that  of  his  colleagues.  "God  Almighty,"  said  he, 
"brought  this  about,  when  He  decreed  that  at  a  stated  time 
one  race  should  replace  another.  It  is  like  a  great  circle 
traced  visibly  by  Him;  His  reasons  are  too  profound  for 
us  to  be  able  to  comprehend  them.  The  mammoth  and 
the  mastodon  have  come  and  gone;  the  red  man  of  Amer- 
ica is  passing  and  disappearing."  4 

But  the  Indians  were  not  resigned  to  this  idea  of  dis- 
appearing. Expelled  from  their  own  lands,  tracked  like 
beasts  of  prey,  they  felt  justified  in  resorting  to  any  meas- 
ures against  their  oppressors.  Several  districts,  notably 
Colorado,  were  ravished  by  pillage,  massacre,  and  fire.5 

The  Indians  in  revolt  numbered  several  thousand.  Every 
day  new  tribes  joined  the  coalition,  and  now  that  the 
Cheyennes  and  the  Blackfeet  had  combined  with  the 
Sioux,  it  was  imperative  to  check  the  progress  of  the  in- 
surrection. Again  the  Government  appealed  to  Father 
De  Smet.  The  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  wrote  him: 
"Your  relations  with  the  Indians  and  your  marvelous  in- 
fluence over  them  are  well-known  facts.     It  is  certain  that 

4  Report  to  the  Joint  Congressional  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs,  Jan., 
1867.  The  following  is  the  method  by  which  the  virtuous  General  assisted 
Providence  in  making  the  red  man  disappear:  "You  will  make  war  on  the 
Mescalaros  and  all  the  other  Indians  whom  you  find  in  the  Mescalaros' 
country,  until  further  orders.  .  .  .  Should  the  Indians  ask  to  treat  with  you, 
tell  them  that  you  have  no  power  to  make  peace,  and  that  you  are  there 
to  kill  whoever  you  find."     (To  Colonel  Carson,  Oct.  12,  1862.) 

"The  troops  must  pursue  the  Indians  in  small  groups,  marching  furtively 
in  the  direction  of  their  haunts,  waiting  patiently  for  them.  ...  A  hunter 
in  pursuit  of  a  deer  resorts  to  every  kind  of  ruse  to  kill  him  at  close  range. 
The  Indian  is  an  animal  of  keener  sight  and  deeper  cunning  than  the  deer." 
(To  Colonel  Riggs,  Aug.  16,  1863.) 

These  and  similar  letters  are  quoted  in  the  Report  to  the  Peace  Com- 
missioners.    Appendix  to  the  Doolittle  Report,  p.  432,  et  seq. 

5  The  news  reached  the  Indians  that  a  railway  train  was  to  pass  through 
the  forests,  and  their  spies  reported  to  them  that  one  of  the  cars  was  full  of 
powder.  The  redskins  assembled,  set  fire  to  the  trees,  and,  armed  with 
scalping-knives,  hid  at  a  short  distance  and  awaited  their  victims.  For- 
tunately, part  of  their  information  was  false,  for  the  convoy  contained  no- 
explosives.  When  the  engineer  beheld  the  flaming  forest  he  was  in  a  quan- 
dary. Should  he  advance,  the  locomotive,  coaches,  and  passengers  would 
be  burned,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  should  he  stop  the  train,  the  Indians 
would  fall  upon  the  handful  of  whites  and  massacre  them.  Deeming  that 
the  situation  called  for  extreme  measures,  he  put  on  full  steam  and  rushed 
through  the  forest.  The  strong  current  of  air  generated  by  the  speed  of 
the  engine  drove  the  flames  back  from  the  train,  and  the  terrible  furnace 
was  traversed  without  damage  to  train  or  passengers. 


SECOND  JOURNEY  OF  PACIFICATION     341 

your  presence  in  their  midst  will  obtain  the  best  results. 
No  special  instructions  will  be  given  you  and  I  leave  you 
at  liberty  to  take  your  own  measures."  6 

Father  De  Smet  accepted  the  commission  on  condition 
that  he  was  to  receive  no  personal  remuneration.  ' '  I  pre- 
fer," he  said,  "to  be  entirely  independent  in  the  matter  of 
money:  my  sole  desire  is  to  be  of  service  to  the  whites  and 
above  all  to  the  poor  Indians."  7 

As  in  1864,  his  official  mission  gained  prestige  through 
the  exercise  of  his  apostolate. 

Father  De  Smet  left  St.  Louis  April  12,  1867,  not,  how- 
ever, without  apprehension  as  to  the  result  of  his  under- 
taking. "Shall  I  be  received  by  those  proud  Indians, 
whose  tomahawks  are  uplifted  against  the  whites,  from 
whose  lances  hundreds  of  scalps  dangle,  serving  as  decora- 
tions for  the  warriors  and  their  steeds?  The  conviction 
that  fervent  prayers  accompany  me  gives  me  courage. 
Knowing  my  own  nothingness,  I  place  myself  unreservedly 
in  God's  hands  and  under  the  protection  of  our  good 
Mother,  the  Immaculate  Virgin."  8 

To  avoid  the  dangers  and  delays  of  high  water  in  the 
spring,  Father  De  Smet  journeyed  overland  to  Sioux  City 
by  way  of  Chicago.  This  was  the  first  time  he  had  crossed 
the  undulating  plains  of  Iowa.  "It  looks  like  a  troubled 
sea  that  had  suddenly  calmed.  Day  after  day  the  scene 
is  unchanged.  Like  waves,  hills  succeed  valleys  intermina- 
bly; only  here  and  there  a  clump  of  trees  on  the  edge  of  a 
stream.  In  summer  it  is  an  ocean  of  verdure  strewn  with 
flowers;  in  autumn,  fire  burns  everything,  and  the  land  is 
as  if  covered  with  a  veil  of  mourning;  then  comes  winter 
with  its  mantle  of  snow.  Spring  is  just  now  beginning,  and 
the  snow  that  lay  from  two  to  four  feet  deep  is  melting  and 
rapidly  disappearing,  and  only  a  few  glistening  white 
patches  are  seen  on  the  hillsides."  9 

At  Sioux  City  the  missionary,  accompanied  by  Panan- 

6  Letter  from  Colonel  Bogy,  Washington,  Feb.  13,  1867. 

7  To  his  brother  Francis,  St.  Louis,  March  29,  1867.  While  refusing 
all  remuneration  for  his  services  to  the  Government,  Father  De  Smet  ac- 
cepted sufficient  money  to  cover  the  expense  of  his  journey  and  that  of  his 
interpreter. 

8  To  Father  Terwecoren,  Sioux  City,  April  30,  1867. 

9  Letter  quoted. 


342     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

niapapi,  a  small  band  of  Yanktons,  and  a  Sioux  interpreter, 
went  aboard  a  steamboat.  Many  soldiers  journeying  to 
different  forts  were  passengers.  In  his  capacity  as  envoy 
extraordinary,  Father  De  Smet  had  been  given  the  rank 
of  Major — "A  title  singularly  out  of  place  for  a  Jesuit, 
nevertheless  it  gives  me  free  access  to  the  soldiers,  many 
of  whom  are  Catholics,  and  to  them  I  devote  much  of  my 
time,  not  in  my  capacity  of  officer,  but  of  priest.  It  is 
like  a  little  floating  mission,  and  my  days  are  spent  in 
teaching  the  catechism  or  hearing  confessions."  10 

But  the  soldiers  were  not  the  only  ones  to  benefit  by 
his  zeal.  At  every  landing  he  visited  Indian  villages  or 
Canadian  families,  instructing  them,  performing  marriage 
ceremonies,  baptizing  in  all  nine  hundred  children.  On 
May  24th,  the  feast  of  Our  Lady,  Help  of  Christians,  a 
rustic  altar  was  erected  in  the  open  country,  and  under  an 
azure  sky,  surrounded  by  his  neophytes,  he  celebrated  the 
Holy  Sacrifice.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  see,  the  prairies 
were  starred  with  daisies  and  buttercups  and  a  thousand 
other  lovely  flowers.  After  describing  the  scene  in  a  letter, 
the  old  missionary  with  naive  piety  invites  his  young 
friends  in  Europe  to  "come  to  the  vast  plains  and  gather 
exquisite  bouquets  to  adorn  the  altars  of  the  illustrious 
Queen  of  heaven."  u 

But  his  solicitude  for  the  salvation  of  souls  in  no  way 
interfered  with  the  worldly  object  of  his  mission.  The 
tribes  along  the  river  had  not  yet  taken  up  arms,  but  a 
revolt  was  imminent.  In  concert  with  Pananniapapi,  he 
endeavored  to  maintain  their  good  relations  with  the 
whites,  although  the  latter  had  committed  crying  injustices 
against  the  Indians.  It  was  evident  to  these  tribes  that 
they  could  not  long  withstand  the  United  States  Army. 
The  missionary  argued  to  them  that  rather  than  make 
common  cause  with  the  hostile  bands,  it  was  wiser  to 
assure  themselves  of  the  protection  of  the  Government, 
which  engaged  itself  to  do  what  was  right  and  admit  all 
just  claims. 

Everywhere  Father  De  Smet  heard  the  same  story: 
"The  Government  agents  visit  us  frequently.     They  are 

10  Selected  Letters,  4th  Series,  p.  21. 

11  Letter  to  Emile  de  Meren,  St.  Louis,  Oct.,  1867. 


SECOND  JOURNEY  OF  PACIFICATION     343 

amiable  and  prodigal  of  words  and  promises,  but  why  do 
such  professions  come  to  nothing?"  The  Indians  would 
then  enumerate  the  evils  of  which  they  were  the  victims. 
' '  Notwithstanding,  we  still  hope  that  our  appeals  will  reach 
the  ear  of  the  Great  Father  and  touch  his  heart,  and  that  he 
will  take  pity  on  us.  The  Black  Robe's  words  to-day 
strengthen  our  hope."  12 

The  meeting  between  Father  De  Smet  and  Generals 
Sully  and  Parker,  the  peace  Commissioners  appointed  to 
investigate  the  grievances  of  the  Indians,  took  place  near 
Fort  Peter.  They  decided  to  travel  with  him  as  far  as  the 
mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  as  they  realized  what  great  ser- 
vices Father  De  Smet  could  render  them.  General  Sully, 
'who  had  formerly  refused  the  Jesuit's  mediation,  now 
deemed  himself  fortunate  to  be  able  to  approach  the  Indians 
under  his  protection. 

Then  began  a  peace  campaign  which  affirmed  in  a  strik- 
ing degree  the  prestige  of  the  Black  Robe.  Father  De 
Smet,  the  Generals,  and  the  faithful  Yanktons  stopped  at 
Forts  Sully,  Rice,  Berthold.'and  Union,  and  wherever  they 
found  a  group  of  lodges  they  sought  out  in  each  place  the 
chief,  and  asked  him  to  convoke  a  council.  When  the 
warriors  had  assembled,  and  the  calumet  had  been  passed 
around,  the  priest  would  address  the  gathering,  declaring 
the  object  of  his  mission  and  making  known  the  advantages 
of  an  agreement  with  the  whites.  Then  pointing  out  the 
Commissioners,  he  explained:  "Your  Great  Father  de- 
sires to  know  your  grievances  in  order  to  remedy  them." 
The  Generals  in  turn  invited  the  chiefs  to  speak  openly, 
telling  them  that  their  complaints,  formulated  in  council, 
would  be  sent  to  Washington  and  submitted  to  the  Presi- 
dent. 

Ranged  in  a  circle,  the  warriors  listened  in  silence.  Then 
arose  a  chief  of  gigantic  stature,  proud  of  mien,  and  of 
stately  tread,  his  head  ornamented  with  eagle  feathers,  and 
his  feet  encased  in  rich  moccasins.  Placing  himself  in 
front  of  the  Commissioners,  with  a  quick  gesture  he  threw 
back  the  Indian  blanket  that  served  as  his  mantle,  and,  lift- 
ing his  hand,  called  for  attention.  "When  the  Great 
Father,"  said  he,  "sends  honest  men  to  my  country  I  am 

12  Selected  Letters,  4th  Series,  p.  11. 


344     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

glad  to  speak  with  them.  Among  you  is  one  known  to  me, 
a  man  of  God:  I  and  my  people  love  him.  You  tell  me 
that  the  Great  Father  loves  his  red-skinned  children,  that 
he  wishes  to  be  just  to  them  and  make  them  happy. 
Formerly  we  were  happy,  because  the  whites  who  came  to 
us  to  hold  council  did  not  deceive  the  Indians.  If  the 
Great  Father  really  loves  us,  why  has  he  sent  agents  into 
our  country  who  lie  to  us?  Since  the  coming  of  these 
men  all  is  changed,  prosperity  and  goodness  have  dis- 
appeared. Even  the  climate,  which  before  was  pleasant, 
has  become  bad. 

"We  have  never  troubled  your  lands,  and  you  come  to 
ours  to  sow  unhappiness.  Why  do  you  do  this?  You 
have  built  four  railroads  through  our  country  and  driven 
away  the  wild  animals.  You  refuse  us  powder  and  bullets, 
and  why  ?  The  game  has  become  so  shy  that  my  bow  and 
arrow  are  useless.     I  now  need  powder  and  lead. 

"Since  the  white  man  has  come  here  and  deceived  us 
we  cannot  live  in  contact  with  him.  I  am  ashamed  to  put 
my  foot  in  a  white  man's  lodge  or  to  receive  him  in  mine. 
Also,  the  soldiers  have  treated  us  badly.  If  the  Great 
Father  would  recall  them  and  leave  us  only  the  traders 
whom  we  need,  happiness  would  return  and  the  climate 
would  again  become  good.  He  must  also  do  away  with  all 
the  railroads  built  on  our  lands.  This  is  my  country; 
it  does  not  belong  to  you,  and  we  have  no  intention  of  sur- 
rendering it.  We  do  not  wish  to  inhabit  the  lands  you 
offer;  we  wish  to  live  here,  and  I  and  my  warriors  choose 
rather  to  fight  and  die  in  defending  our  rights  than  leave 
our  country  and  die  of  starvation.  Moreover,  we  swear  to 
scalp  every  white  man  that  falls  into  our  hands,  if  the 
Great  Father  does  not  withdraw  the  soldiers  and  restore 
to  us  our  lands.     I  have  spoken."  13 

The  Indians  remained  defiant.  Father  De  Smet  alone 
had  any  influence  over  them,  and  that  through  private 
counsels  rather  than  by  haranguing  them.  He  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  calming  them,  assured  them  of  the  sincerity  of 
the  Commissioners,  and  restored  their  confidence  in  the 
good  intentions  of  the  Government.  To  defend  a  cause 
in  many  respects  an  unjust  one,  was  a  difficult  task  for  the 
13  This  speech  was  made  by  Iron  Shield,  chief  of  the  Miniconjous. 


SECOND  JOURNEY  OF  PACIFICATION     345 

missionary,  but  he  declared  his  belief  that  the  Indians' 
resistance  would  finally  be  their  undoing.  Moreover,  the 
Government  had  formally  stated  its  terms ;  both  Presidents 
Lincoln  and  Johnson  had  sent  the  tribes  assurances  of  their 
friendship.  Was  it  not  to  remedy  the  evils  that  they  were 
now  investigating  their  grievances  ?  Why  should  they  im- 
agine that  such  agreements  would  remain  a  dead  letter? 

The  Indians  never  wavered  in  their  loyalty  to  Father 
De  Smet  nor  did  they  think  he  could  ever  betray  their 
cause.  He  was  always  "the  white  man  whose  tongue 
does  not  He."  His  sympathies  were  for  them;  they  knew 
him  and  fully  trusted  him.  "If  all  would  speak  and  act 
as  you  do,  Black  Robe,  the  sun  of  peace  would  not  be 
eclipsed." 

After  some  weeks  of  deliberation  the  tribes  living  in  the 
vicinity  of  Missouri  renewed  to  Generals  Sully  and  Parker 
their  assurances  of  a  good  understanding.  Even  the 
hostile  tribes  agreed  to  make  peace.  Sa-tanka,  or  Sitting 
Bull,  great  chief  of  the  Kiowas,  was  known  as  the  most 
formidable  enemy  of  the  white  man,  and  on  his  head  the 
Governor  of  Colorado  had  more  than  once  put  a  price. 
Hence,  great  was  the  surprise  of  the  Commissioners  when 
this  fierce  chief  came  to  ask  their  friendship. 

"We  have  made  war  on  the  whites,  but  only  because 
they  forced  us  to  take  up  arms.  We  thank  the  Great 
Spirit  that  our  troubles  are  drawing  to  an  end,  and  that 
peace  and  union  are  before  us.  We  come  to  you  as  friends ; 
you  have  listened  to  our  complaints,  and  we  have  given  you 
our  hearts.  Henceforth  the  grass  of  the  prairie  will  no 
longer  be  stained  with  the  white  man's  blood.  Your 
people  shall  be  our  people,  and  peace  shall  be  our  common 
heritage. 

"I  am  an  old  man  and  shall  soon  go  to  join  my  brothers; 
but  those  who  come  after  me  will  remember  this  day. 
The  memory  of  it  will  go  with  them  to  their  graves;  they 
will  transmit  it  to  their  children  as  a  sacred  tradition,  and 
it  will  be  handed  down  to  their  grandchildren's  children. 
Farewell.  Perhaps  we  may  never  meet  again,  but  do  not 
forget  Sa-tanka,  the  friend  of  the  whites." 

Encouraged  by  these  successes,  Father  De  Smet  longed 
to  penetrate  into  the  interior  of  the  country,  which  was 
23 


346     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

occupied  by  rebellious  tribes.  Several  chiefs  had  expressed 
a  desire  to  see  him,  and  he  hoped  to  induce  them  to  lay- 
down  their  arms,  but  the  fatigue  of  a  four  months'  journey 
had  so  exhausted  him  that  he  was  obliged  to  return  to 
St.  Louis.  He  had,  however,  amply  fulfilled  his  mission; 
over  fifteen  thousand  Indians  had  sworn  to  keep  peace. 

"It  is  my  candid  opinion,  should  due  regard  be  paid  to 
the  just  complaints  of  the  Indians,  should  their  annuities 
be  delivered  in  due  and  proper  time,  and  implements  of 
agriculture  be  supplied  to  them;  should  they  be  dealt 
with  honestly  and  kindly  by  agents  and  other  persons  in  the 
employ  of  the  Government,  the  bands  mentioned  will  be 
kept  friendly  to  the  whites,  and  the  warrior  bands  in  the 
Upper  Missouri  plains  will  soon  cease  their  depredations."  u 

Such  views  were  too  wise,  at  least  in  principle,  not  to  be 
accepted  by  the  Government,  and  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  expressed  to  Father  De  Smet  his  great  satisfaction. 
But  the  missionary  attributed  his  success  to  the  prayers 
of  his  friends,  especially  those  of  the  little  children. 

11  To  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  St.  Louis,  Sept.,  1867. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

SITTING   BULL'S   CAMP    (1868) 

A  Commission  of  Five  Generals  is  Sent  by  the  Government  to  Subdue 
the  Indians — The  Commission  Asks  Father  De  Smet  to  Intervene — 
Conference  with  the  Indians  on  the  Shores  of  the  Platte — Father  De 
Smet's  Offer  to  Go  to  the  Hostile  Bands — En  Route  for  the  Hunkpapas' 
Camp — Father  De  Smet  is  Received  by  Sitting  Bull — The  Great 
Council — Father  De  Smet's  Discourse — Black  Moon's  Reply — The 
Banner  of  Peace  —  The  Hunkpapas'  Deputies  Accompany  Father 
De  Smet  to  Fort  Rice — The  Complete  Success  of  the  Conference — 
Generals  Harney,  Sanborn,  and  Terry  Express  Their  Gratitude  and 
Appreciation  to  Father  De  Smet. 

FATHER  DE  SMET  returned  to  St.  Louis  in  the 
month  of  August  and  suffered  from  the  intense  heat, 
as  in  the  preceding  year.  "More  and  more  I  feel  the 
weight  of  years.  My  strength  is  failing  and  I  am  getting 
thin.  I  still  hope  to  spend  a  year  or  two  with  the  Indians, 
especially  those  who  are  at  enmity  with  the  whites.  A 
large  number  of  chiefs  have  invited  me  to  visit  them  and 
seem  disposed  to  make  peace,  but  the  winter  is  too  far 
advanced  and  I  am  too  weak  to  undertake  the  journey  of 
over  three  thousand  miles.  I  must  put  it  off  until  next 
spring."  *  When  spring  came  he  was  able  to  carry  out  his 
intentions,  however. 

Generals  Sully  and  Parker  were  of  the  opinion  that  an 
understanding  could  be  arrived  at  with  the  hostile  tribes. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  complete  submission  of  the  Indians, 
if  obtained  by  force  of  arms,  would  cost  the  country  five 
hundred  million  dollars.2  It  was  deemed  wiser  to  continue 
negotiations. 

A  new  commission  was  empowered  to  conclude  a  lasting 
peace ;  it  was  composed  of  the  most  distinguished  officers  of 
the   United   States  Army:    Generals   Sherman,   Harney, 

*To  Father  Terwecoren,  St.  Louis,  Sept.  21,  1867. 
2  General  Sherman's  estimate. 


348    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.  J. 

Sanborn,  Terry,  and  Sheridan.  It  is  noteworthy  that 
these  men,  who  had  just  brought  the  Civil  War  to  a  close, 
now  asked  the  aid  of  a  missionary  to  induce  a  few  thousand 
Indians  to  lay  down  their  arms.3 

Father  De  Smet  gladly  placed  his  services  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  Commission.4  He  had  full  confidence  in  their 
integrity  and  wrote  of  them :  '  T  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that 
the  gentlemen  composing  the  Commission  are  all  animated 
with  the  best  of  feelings  toward  the  Indian  tribes  and  to 
provide  for  their  future  welfare.  Resistance  on  the  part 
of  the  Indians  will  finally  be  overcome  and  bring  great 
misery  among  them."5 

On  March  30,  1868,  the  missionary  left  St.  Louis  in  his 
sixty-eighth  year  and  in  broken  health,  to  embark  on  the 
most  perilous  undertaking  of  his  life.  He  joined  the 
Commission,  which  traveled  by  way  of  Chicago  and 
Omaha.  The  first  council  with  the  Indians  was  held  on  the 
borders  of  the  Platte  River;  the  results  were  satisfactory, 
but  news  was  brought  that  certain  tribes,  notably  the 
Hunkpapas  and  Ogallalas,  had  refused  to  treat  with  the 
whites.  So  long  as  these  tribes,  two  of  the  most  powerful 
in  the  plains,  refused  to  disarm,  peace  could  not  be  assured. 

It  was  evident  that  Father  De  Smet  alone  could 
triumph  over  their  fierce  animosity,  so  he  offered  to  go  in 
person  to  invite  them  to  a  conference  that  would  take 
place  three  months  later  at  Fort  Rice.  Deeming  it  wiser 
to  advance  ahead  of  the  Commission,  he  traveled  up  the 
Missouri  alone.  A  Black  Robe  in  the  midst  of  military 
uniforms  would  be  unseemly  to  the  Indians  and  far  from 
agreeable. 

After  thirty-three  days  of  difficult  navigation  he  reached 

3  This  peaceful  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  Commissioners  denoted  a 
remarkable  change  of  opinion.  In  1866,  General  Sherman  had  written  in 
his  "  Indian  Views  " :  "We  must  pursue  the  Sioux  until  they  are  exterminated, 
men,  women,  and  children.  No  other  method  will  get  at  the  bottom  of  the 
question." 

4  "When  occasions  present  themselves  at  Fort  Rice,  please  let  the  Indians 
of  the  interior  know  of  my  coming  and  let  them  be  well  and  fully  persuaded 
that  nothing  is  nearer  and  dearer  to  my  heart  than  their  welfare  and  happi- 
ness. I  pray  daily  to  the  Lord  that  peace  and  quiet  might  be  restored  and 
reign  again  through  the  land.  It  would  be  my  greatest  consolation  should 
I  be  able  to  do  anything  to  bring  it  about."  (Letter  to  Mr.  Galpin,  St. 
Louis,  Feb.  22,  1868.) 

5  Letter  to  Mr.  F.  F.  Gerard,  St.  Louis,  Feb.  25,  1868. 


SITTING  BULL'S  CAMP  349 

the  fort  situated  near  the  mouth  of  the  Cannonball  River, 
where  hundreds  of  Indians  were  gathered  to  attend  "the 
great  peace  council."  Learning  that  he  had  arrived,  they 
rushed  to  the  river  and  gave  him  a  warm  ovation;  then 
they  conducted  him  to  the  lodge  that  had  been  prepared 
for  him,  where  the  great  chiefs  were  anxiously  waiting  to 
learn  the  Government's  intentions  toward  them.  He  as- 
sured them  of  the  Government's  peaceful  attitude,  but 
declared  he  could  not  conclude  any  negotiations  before  the 
arrival  of  the  Commissioners.  The  following  days  he 
devoted  to  instructing  the  Indians,  and  six  hundred  chil- 
dren received  baptism.  He  also  prepared  the  soldiers  in 
the  garrison  to  receive  the  Sacraments  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost. 

On  June  1st  the  missionary  announced  that  he  was  going 
to  seek  the  hostile  tribes,  in  order  to  induce  the  chiefs  to 
attend  the  conference.  The  Indians  were  astounded  at 
such  audacity,  and  wished  to  dissuade  him.  "Black 
Robe,"  they  said,  "it  will  cost  you  your  scalp."  But  the 
missionary  replied:  "Before  a  picture  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  Mother  and  Protector  of  all  nations,  six  lamps  are 
burning  day  and  night  during  my  absence,  and  before  these 
lamps  more  than  a  thousand  children  implore  heaven's 
protection  for  me."  Then  the  Indians  lifted  their  hands 
to  heaven,  exclaiming:  "How  wonderful!  How  splendid! 
We  want  to  accompany  you.  When  will  you  start?" 
"To-morrow  at  sunrise." 

The  missionary  accepted,  however,  only  an  escort  of 
twenty-four  men,  and  for  interpreter  chose  an  old  trapper 
named  Galpin,  who  had  lived  for  thirty  years  among  the 
Sioux. 

The  moment  of  his  departure  was  a  solemn  one.  Sur- 
rounded by  the  Indian  chiefs  and  soldiers  from  the  fort, 
the  Father  placed  his  journey  under  the  protection  of  the 
Great  Spirit,  and  recommended  himself  to  the  prayers  of 
his  friends,  many  of  whom  never  expected  to  see  him 
again. 

The  Indians  whom  he  wished  to  reconcile  with  the  whites 
were  nursing  their  hatred  on  the  far  side  of  the  Bad  Lands, 
an  immense,  sterile  plain,  furrowed  with  deep  undulations. 


350    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.  J. 

Numbering  over  five  thousand,  they  roamed  about  with 
the  uneasiness  and  restlessness  of  wild  beasts.  They 
were  pagans,  and  knew  of  the  Catholic  religion  only  through 
the  prestige  attached  to  the  Black  Robe. 

Taking  a  westerly  course,  the  missionary's  caravan 
traveled  for  days  without  coming  upon  any  traces  of  the 
white  man,  and  only  now  and  then  encountered  the  re- 
mains of  some  Indian  warrior,  supported  on  four  poles. 
The  Indians  would  then  halt,  smoke  the  calumet,  and 
celebrate  in  song  the  bravery  of  the  dead. 

"Thou  hast  preceded  us  to  the  land  of  souls; 
To-day  at  thy  tomb  we  admire  thy  lofty  deeds. 
Thy  death  has  been  avenged  by  thy  brothers  in  arms. 
Repose  in  peace,  illustrious  warrior!" 

As  they  advanced  vegetation  became  sparse;  they  had 
only  stagnant,  greenish  water  to  drink,  and  even  game 
was  becoming  scarce.  Despite  these  hardships,  Father 
De  Smet's  cheerfulness  kept  up  the  courage  of  his  com- 
panions. 

One  evening  one  of  the  men  of  his  escort,  who  had 
formerly  been  a  great  enemy  to  the  whites,  entered  his 
tent.  "Black  Robe,"  said  the  Indian,  extending  his  hand, 
"ever  since  our  departure  I  have  observed  you  and  am 
more  than  ever  convinced  you  are  a  great  and  brave  man. 
As  I  have  always  admired  the  brave,  it  rejoices  my  heart 
to  see  you."  He  then  conversed  at  length  with  the  mis- 
sionary upon  the  means  to  bring  about  peace.6 

June  9th,  Father  De  Smet  dispatched  four  men  to  seek 
the  enemy's  camp  and  provisioned  each  with  a  quantity  of 
tobacco.  "The  gift  of  tobacco  is  equivalent  to  an  invita- 
tion or  signifies  the  desire  for  a  conference  upon  an  im- 
portant affair.  If  the  tobacco  is  accepted,  you  can  present 
yourself;    if  not,  access  to  the  camp  is  forbidden  you."7 

Six  days  later  a  band  of  Indians  appeared  upon  the 
horizon.  These  were  scouts,  and  were  followed  by  a 
deputation  of  eighteen  warriors,  who  had  come  to  shake 
hands  with   the  missionary  and   smoke  the  calumet  of 

6  This  and  other  information  is  taken  from  Mr.  Galpin's  unpublished 
diary. 

7  Selected  Letters,  4th  Series,  p.  75. 


COUNCIL  WITH  THE   HOSTILE   SIOUX  ON  THE 
YELLOWSTONE   RIVER 


SITTING  BULL'S  CAMP  351 

peace.  "Black  Robe,"  they  said,  "your  tobacco  has  been 
accepted.  The  chiefs  and  warriors  are  eager  to  know  the 
object  of  your  visit;  but  entrance  to  our  camp  is  accorded 
to  you  alone:  no  other  white  man  could  come  out  of  it 
with  his  scalp." 

The  camp  was  three  days'  journey  away,  in  the  valley 
of  the  Yellowstone  near  the  confluence  of  the  Powder 
River.  On  June  19th  they  reached  the  hills  that  overlook 
the  river,  and  from  there  Father  De  Smet  beheld  a  de- 
tachment of  five  hundred  warriors  coming  across  the  plain 
to  meet  him.  "I  immediately  unfurled  my  standard  of 
peace,  which  was  a  banner  with  the  holy  name  of  Jesus  on 
one  side,  and  on  the  other  a  picture  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
surrounded  with  a  halo  of  stars.  Believing  it  the  United 
States  flag,  the  Indians  halted,  and  appeared  to  be  holding 
a  consultation.  The  four  chiefs  rode  up  at  full  gallop  and 
hovered  about  the  banner.  But  as  soon  as  they  learned 
what  it  represented,  they  shook  hands  with  me  and  signaled 
to  their  warriors  to  approach.  They  all  drew  themselves 
up  in  a  single  line  and  we  did  the  same.  Then  the  two 
lines  approached  each  other.  On  both  sides  rose  cries 
and  shouts  of  joy.  I  was  moved  to  tears  by  the  reception 
these  pagan  sons  of  the  desert  gave  me."  8 

Then  followed,  according  to  their  custom,  the  exchange  of 
presents;  afterward  they  started,  with  the  banner  at  their 
head,  for  the  camp  only  a  few  miles  distant.  There 
Father  De  Smet  found  the  Hunkpapas,  the  Ogallalas,  the 
Blackfeet,  the  Miniconjous,  and  others.  The  great  chief, 
Four  Horns,  shared  his  authority  with  Black  Moon,  No 
Neck,  and  Sitting  Bull.  The  last  named  was  soon  to 
become  famous.9  His  courage,  his  eloquence,  and  his 
prestige  made  him  the  most  formidable  of  the  redskins. 
Eight  years  later  he  was  to  successfully  lead  the  final 
resistance  of  his  expiring  people.10  It  was  this  fierce  chief 
who  received  Father  De  Smet;  he  had  prepared  for  him  a 
large  lodge  in  the  center  of  the  camp,  where  a  guard  of  his 
faithful  warriors  stood  watch  day  and  night. 

8  Selected  Letters,  4th  Series,  p.  78. 

9  On  the  day  of  his  birth  a  buffalo  came  and  seated  itself  a  few  feet  from 
the  tent  in  which  he  first  saw  the  light  of  day.     Hence  his  name. 

10  G.  Kurth,   "Sitting  Bull,"  Brussels,   1879. 


352     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Exhausted  by  his  sixteen  days'  march,  the  missionary 
asked  that  he  might  be  allowed  to  rest,  and  although  sur- 
rounded by  four  thousand  Indians,  sworn  enemies  of  the 
whites,  he  tranquilly  fell  asleep  in  the  full  assurance  of  the 
good  faith  of  Indian  hospitality;  until  he  awakened,  his 
guard  kept  watch  over  the  venerable  white  man,  wrapped 
in  his  Jesuit  cloak. 

When  he  opened  his  eyes  the  four  chiefs  were  standing 
before  him,  and,  in  the  name  of  his  tribe,  Sitting  Bull  ad- 
dressed him: 

"Black  Robe,  I  hardly  sustain  myself  beneath  the  weight 
of  white  men's  blood  I  have  shed.  The  whites  provoked  the 
war;  their  injustices,  their  indignities  to  our  families,  the 
cruel,  unheard-of  and  wholly  unprovoked  massacre  at  Fort 
Lyon  [where  Chivington  commanded]  of  six  or  seven  hun- 
dred women,  children,  and  old  men,  shook  all  the  veins 
which  bind  and  support  me.  I  rose,  tomahawk  in  hand, 
and  I  have  done  all  the  hurt  to  the  whites  that  I  could. 
To-day  thou  art  among  us,  and  in  thy  presence  my  hands 
fall  to  the  ground  as  if  dead.  I  will  listen  to  thy  good 
words,  and  as  bad  as  I  have  been  to  the  whites  just  so  good 
am  I  ready  to  become  toward  them." 

Complying  with  Father  De  Smet's  request,  the  chiefs 
convoked  a  great  council  for  the  next  day,  when  the  Black 
Robe  would  inform  them  of  the  Government's  proposals, 
and  the  warriors  would  decide  if  they  should  send  a  depu- 
tation to  Fort  Rice  to  treat  for  peace  with  the  Commis- 
sioners. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  June  20th  men  and  women  be- 
gan preparing  the  place  for  the  conference;  this  space 
covered  nearly  a  half  acre,  and  was  surrounded  by  a  series 
of  tepees  or  Indian  lodges,  composed  of  twenty-four 
buffalo  skins  each,  which  were  suspended  on  long  pine 
poles.  The  banner  of  the  Holy  Virgin  rose  from  the  center, 
and  on  one  side  a  seat  covered  with  fine  buffalo  skins  was 
prepared  for  the  Black  Robe.  When  all  the  Indians,  at  the 
appointed  hour,  had  taken  their  places,  ranged  in  a  circle, 
Father  De  Smet  was  solemnly  introduced  by  the  two  head 
chiefs,  Four  Horns  and  Black  Moon.  The  council  was 
opened  with  songs  and  dances,  noisy  and  joyful,  in  which 
the  warriors  alone  took  part.     Then  Four  Horns  lighted  his 


SITTING  BULL'S  CAMP  353 

calumet  of  peace;  he  presented  it  first  solemnly  to  the 
Great  Spirit,  imploring  His  light  and  favor,  and  then  to  the 
four  cardinal  points,  and  to  the  sun  and  earth,  as  witnesses 
to  the  action  of  the  council.  Then  he  himself  passed  the 
calumet  from  mouth  to  mouth,  commencing  with  Father 
De  Smet.  When  the  ceremony  of  the  calumet  was  finished, 
the  head  chief  addressed  the  missionary,  saying: 

"Speak,  Black  Robe,  my  ears  are  open  to  hear  your 
words." 

All  this  was  done  with  the  greatest  gravity  and  amid  a 
profound  silence. 

Then  the  Father  rose  to  his  feet  and  raising  his  hands  to 
heaven  implored  guidance  from  on  high.  For  almost  an 
hour  he  laid  before  them  the  disinterested  motives  that 
had  brought  him  among  them,  which  could  only  tend  to 
their  happiness.  He  spoke  especially  of  the  dangers  with 
which  they  were  surrounded,  and  of  their  weakness  beside 
the  great  strength  of  the  whites,  if  the  Great  Father  were 
forced  to  use  it  against  them.  The  harm  done  by  the  war 
had  been  terrible,  and  the  crimes  committed  on  both  sides 
atrocious.  The  Great  Father  desired  that  all  should  be  for- 
gotten and  buried.  To-day  his  hand  was  ready  to  aid 
them,  to  give  them  agricultural  implements,  domestic 
animals,  men  to  teach  them  field-work,  and  teachers  of  both 
sexes  to  instruct  their  children,  and  all  this  was  offered 
them  without  the  least  remuneration  or  cession  of  lands  on 
their  part. 

"And  now,"  said  Father  De  Smet  in  conclusion,  "in  the 
name  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  in  the  presence  of  your  chiefs 
and  braves  here  assembled,  I  conjure  you  to  bury  all  re- 
sentment and  accept  the  hand  that  is  generously  offered  to 
you.  The  banner  before  you  is  the  sacred  emblem  of  peace, 
and  never  before  has  it  been  carried  such  a  distance.  I 
will  leave  it  with  your  chiefs  as  a  guarantee  of  my  sincerity, 
and  as  a  continual  reminder  of  my  wishes  for  the  happiness 
of  the  Sioux  tribes." 

No  one  interrupted  the  orator,  and  when  he  was  done, 
Black  Moon  arose. 

"Black  Robe,  your  words  are  plain  and  good,  and  filled 
with  truth.  I  shall  lay  them  up  in  my  memory.  Still,  our 
hearts  are  sore.     They  have  received  deep  wounds.    These 


354     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

wounds  are  yet  to  be  healed.  A  cruel  war  has  desolated 
and  impoverished  our  country ;  the  desolating  torch  of  war 
was  not  kindled  by  us;  it  was  the  Sioux  east  of  us  and  the 
Cheyennes  south  of  us  who  raised  the  war  first,  to  revenge 
themselves  for  the  white  man's  cruelties  and  injustice. 
We  have  been  forced  to  take  part,  for  we  are  victims  of 
their  rapacity  and  wrong  doing.  To-day,  when  we  ride 
over  our  plains,  we  find  them  spotted  here  and  there  with 
blood;  these  are  not  the  blood-stains  of  buffalo  and  deer 
killed  in  the  chase,  but  those  of  our  own  comrades  or  of 
white  men,  sacrificed  to  vengeance.  The  buffalo,  the  elk, 
the  antelope,  the  bighorn,  and  the  deer  have  quitted  our 
immense  plains;  we  hardly  find  them  any  more,  except  at 
intervals,  and  always  less  numerous.  May  it  not  be  the 
odor  of  human  blood  that  puts  them  to  flight? 

"I  will  say  further — against  our  will,  the  whites  are 
cutting  up  our  country  with  their  highways;  they  build 
forts  and  arm  them  with  thunderers.  They  kill  our 
animals,  and  more  than  they  need.  They  cut  down  our 
forests  without  paying  us  their  value.  Not  content  with 
ruining  us,  they  maltreat  and  massacre  our  people. 

"We  are  opposed  to  having  these  big  roads,  which  drive 
the  buffalo  away  from  our  country.  The  soil  is  ours,  and 
we  are  determined  not  to  yield  an  inch  of  it.  Here  our 
fathers  were  born  and  buried.  We  desire,  like  them,  to 
live  here,  and  to  be  buried  in  this  same  soil.  We  have 
been  forced  to  hate  the  whites.  Let  them  treat  us  like 
brothers  and  the  war  will  cease.  Let  them  stay  at  home; 
we  will  never  go  to  trouble  them.  To  see  them  come  in 
and  build  their  cabins  revolts  us,  and  we  are  determined  to 
resist  or  die.  Thou,  Messenger  of  Peace,  thou  hast  given 
us  a  glimpse  of  a  better  future.  Very  well;  so  be  it;  let 
us  hope.  Let  us  throw  a  veil  over  the  past,  and  let  it  be 
forgotten.  I  have  only  a  word  more  to  say ;  in  the  presence 
of  all  my  people,  I  express  to  you  here  my  thanks  for  the 
good  news  that  you  have  announced  and  for  all  your  good 
counsel  and  advice.  We  accept  your  tobacco.  Some  of 
our  warriors  will  go  with  you  to  Fort  Rice  to  hear  the 
words  and  propositions  of  the  Great  Father's  commis- 
sioners. If  their  words  are  acceptable,  peace  shall  be 
made."     Then  he  took  his  seat. 


SITTING  BULL'S  CAMP  355 

All  applauded  the  words  of  Black  Moon.  The  other 
chiefs  followed  and  touched  on  the  same  matters  and  pro- 
nounced in  favor  of  peace.  Sitting  Bull  only  named  three 
conditions  for  the  peace:  the  whites  should  abandon  their 
forts;  no  more  land  should  be  ceded  to  them;  lastly,  they 
must  respect  the  trees,  especially  the  oaks,  which  the 
Indians  almost  worshiped.  ' '  They  have  resisted  the  storms 
of  winter  and  the  heat  of  summer,"  he  said,  "and  like  our- 
selves, they  seem  to  draw  from  them  new  vigor." 

A  standard-bearer  was  chosen  for  the  sacred  banner. 
The  honor  fell  to  a  warrior  covered  with  scars  and  dis- 
tinguished for  his  exploits.  "I  expressed  the  wish,"  writes 
Father  De  Smet,  "that  this  banner  on  which  were  em- 
broidered the  name  of  Jesus  and  the  image  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  might  be  for  all  a  pledge  of  happiness  and  safety. 
For  a  last  time  I  recommended  the  tribe  to  the  protection 
of  Mary,  auxilium  et  refugium  Indianorum,  as  she  was 
anciently  in  Paraguay,  in  Canada,  everywhere  and  for- 
evermore."  u 

The  council  lasted  four  hours.  It  ended  with  a  song  that 
roused  the  echoes  of  the  hills,  and  a  dance  that  made  the 
ground  tremble.  Upon  his  return  to  his  lodge,  the  mis- 
sionary found  it  invaded  by  a  clamoring  crowd  of  mothers 
with  their  babies  in  their  arms,  and  followed  by  their 
other  children.  He  at  once  came  forth  to  them,  and  they 
crowded  around  him  with  a  rare  trustfulness,  very  unusual 
among  Indian  children,  to  offer  him  their  little  hands. 
The  mothers  were  not  satisfied  until  he  laid  his  hands  upon 
the  heads  of  all  the  babies  and  little  ones,  when  they  with- 
drew contented  and  happy.  To  contemplate  the  reflection 
of  pure  souls  in  the  innocent  glance  of  these  children  was  a 
solace  and  repose  after  his  arduous  labors. 

The  next  morning  before  daybreak,  Father  De  Smet  set 
off  on  his  return  journey  to  the  fort,  where  the  Commis- 
sioners were  anxiously  awaiting  the  result  of  his  interview. 
Repeating  the  ceremony  of  his  arrival,  the  chiefs  escorted 
him,  and  did  not  leave  him  until  he  had  crossed  the  Powder 
River.  Eight  deputies  chosen  by  the  council  and  several 
warriors  accompanied  him  back,  among  them  a  venerable 
11  Selected  Letters,  4th  Series,  p.  89. 


356     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

old  man,  a  worthy  emulator  of  the  virtues  of  Pananniapapi, 
who  had  come  to  the  camp  to  shake  the  missionary's  hand 
and  to  express  his  happiness  at  seeing  him  again.  On  his 
breast  he  wore  a  copper  cross,  old  and  worn.  This  was  the 
only  religious  token  Father  De  Smet  had  seen  in  all  the 
camp,  and  it  filled  him  with  joy  and  emotion.  He  ques- 
tioned the  old  man  to  know  from  whom  he  had  received 
this  cross.  "It  was  you,  Black  Robe,  who  gave  me  this 
cross.  I  have  not  laid  it  aside  for  twenty-six  snows.  The 
cross  has  raised  me  to  the  clouds  among  my  people.  If 
I  still  walk  the  earth,  it  is  to  the  cross  that  I  owe  it,  and 
the  Great  Spirit  has  blessed  my  numerous  family." 

The  Father  asked  him  to  explain  further,  and  he  con- 
tinued :  ' '  When  I  was  younger,  I  loved  whiskey  to  madness, 
and  at  every  chance  I  would  get  drunk  and  commit  ex- 
cesses It  is  now  twenty-six  snows  since  my  last  wild 
orgy.  I  was  stupid  and  sick  from  it.  Just  then  I  had  the 
good  fortune  to  meet  you,  and  you  made  known  to  me 
that  my  behavior  was  against  the  will  of  the  Master  of 
life  and  offended  Him  grievously.  Since  then  I  have  often 
had  opportunities;  my  friends  have  sometimes  sought  to 
induce  me  to  join  them  in  their  illicit  enjoyments,  but 
each  time  this  cross  has  come  to  my  help.  I  would  take 
it  between  my  hands  and  would  recall  your  words  and 
invoke  the  Great  Spirit.  Ever  since  we  first  met  I  have 
renounced  drink,  and  have  never  touched  a  drop." 

Struck  by  this  heroic  perseverance,  Father  De  Smet 
wanted  to  baptize  the  old  man,  but  there  was  not  time  to 
instruct  him.  The  intrepid  neophyte  at  once  proposed  to 
join  the  caravan,  happy  in  the  thought  that  when  they 
camped  he  could  receive  instructions  from  the  Black  Robe. 
At  the  end  of  eight  days  he  was  made  a  Christian,  and 
with  a  soul  overflowing  with  joy,  returned  to  his  tribe. 

Two  days  later  Father  De  Smet  arrived  at  Fort  Rice. 
News  of  his  success  had  reached  the  officers  and  soldiers, 
who  had  prepared  a  triumphal  reception  for  him.  Hun- 
dreds of  Indians,  proudly  wrapped  in  their  mantles,  their 
heads  ornamented  with  feathers  and  ribbons,  and  their 
faces  daubed  with  vermilion,  came  to  meet  him.  The  air 
rang  with  cries  of  joy,  in  which  the  deputies  from  the 
Hunkpapas  took  part.     "The  warriors  formed  a  long  file 


SITTING  BULL'S  CAMP  357 

and  marched  with  true  military  precision.  It  was  a  really- 
remarkable  spectacle,  though  little  in  accord  with  the 
tastes  of  the  good  Father,  who  does  not  love  the  sound  of 
trumpets  and  the  glare  of  parades,"  an  eye-witness  re- 
ported.12 

On  July  2d  the  great  peace  council  was  held,  in  which 
fifty  thousand  Indians  were  represented.  Not  in  half  a 
century  had  there  been  such  an  assembly  on  the  Missouri. 
The  presiding  Generals  made  solemn  promises  to  the 
Indians  that  if  they  would  lay  aside  their  arms,  the  Govern- 
ment would  respect  their  rights,  provide  for  their  livelihood, 
and  treat  them  as  friends.  Then  the  representatives  of  the 
tribes  spoke  in  turn,  beginning  with  the  standard-bearer  of 
the  Hunkpapas,  whose  discourse  was  a  faithful  repetition 
of  the  speeches  Black  Moon  and  Sitting  Bull  had  made  to 
Father  De  Smet.  When  the  Hunkpapas  consented  to 
make  peace,  the  assent  of  the  other  tribes  was  assured. 
On  condition  of  an  adequate  indemnity,  the  Sioux  were  to 
cede  to  the  United  States  their  reservations  in  Kansas  and 
Nebraska,  but  they  were  to  demand  the  exclusive  pos- 
session of  the  lands  north  of  the  Niobrara. 

Upon  these  conditions  the  treaty  was  signed.  The 
Commissioners  distributed  presents  to  the  Indians,  who 
then  dispersed,  each  one  rejoicing  over  a  reconciliation 
which  he  believed  to  be  lasting. 

"lam  persuaded,"  writes  Major-General  Stanley,  "that 
this  is  the  most  complete  and  the  wisest  of  all  the  treaties 
thus  far  concluded  with  the  Indians  of  this  country. 
Without  doubt  the  fulfilment  of  the  provisions  of  this 
treaty  will  assure  peace  with  the  Sioux.  But  whatever 
may  be  the  result,  we  can  never  forget,  nor  shall  we  ever 
cease  to  admire  the  disinterested  devotion  of  the  Rev. 
Father  De  Smet,  who,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years,  did 
not  hesitate,  in  the  midst  of  the  heat  of  summer,  to  under- 
take a  long  and  perilous  journey  across  the  burning  plains, 
destitute  of  trees  and  even  of  grass;  having  none  but  cor- 
rupted and  unwholesome  water,  constantly  exposed  to 
scalping  by  the  Indians,  and  this  without  seeking  either 
honors  or  remuneration  of  any  sort;    but  solely  to  arrest 

12  Major-General  Stanley's  letter  to  Bishop  Purcell,  Fort  Sully,  July  12, 
1868. 


358     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

the  shedding  of  blood,  to  save,  if  it  might  be,  some  lives, 
and  preserve  some  habitations  to  these  savage  children  of 
the  desert."13 

The  Generals  who  negotiated  the  peace  wished  at  once  to 
acknowledge  their  debt  of  gratitude,  and  immediately 
after  the  signing  of  the  treaty  they  presented  an  address  to 
Father  De  Smet,  enumerating  the  eminent  services  he  had 
rendered  the  United  States.  "We  are  satisfied  that  but 
for  your  long  and  painful  journey  into  the  heart  of  the 
hostile  country,  and  but  for  the  influence  over  even  the 
most  hostile  of  the  tribes  which  your  years  of  labor  among 
them  have  given  you,  the  results  which  we  have  reached 
here  could  not  have  been  accomplished.  We  are  well 
aware  that  our  thanks  can  be  but  of  little  worth  to  you, 
and  that  you  will  find  true  reward  for  your  labors  and 
for  the  dangers  and  privations  which  you  have  encountered 
in  the  consciousness  that  you  have  done  much  to  promote 
peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to  men;  but  we  should  do 
injustice  to  our  own  feelings  were  we  not  to  render  to  you 
our  thanks  and  express  our  deep  sense  of  the  obligations 
under  which  you  have  laid  us."14 

The  humble  missionary  did  not  tarry  long  to  listen  to 
such  praise.  On  July  4th  he  started  for  St.  Louis.  He 
also  believed  that  peace  was  assured,  and  so  it  would  have 
been  had  not  the  cupidity  of  the  whites  overruled  the 
good  faith  of  the  treaty. 

13  Letter  quoted. 

14  The  address  is  dated  at  Fort  Rice,  July  3,  1868,  and  signed  by  Generals 
Harney,  Sanborn,  and  Terry. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

FATHER  DE  SMET's  LAST  LABORS — GRANT'S  PEACE  POLICY 

(1869-1872) 

Father  De  Smet's  Eighth  Visit  to  Belgium— Two  Journeys  Made  in  the 
Autumn— Project  to  Found  a  Mission  on  the  Upper  Missouri — Indian 
Peace  Policy— Father  De  Smet  is  Given  the  Right  to  Appoint  Catholic 
Agents — Nearly  All  the  Agencies  fare  Given  to  Protestant  Function- 
aries—Injustice Done  to  the  Catholic  Indians — Father  De  Smet's 
Unsuccessful  Efforts— He  Resigns— Courageous  Fidelity  of  the  Catholic 
Indians— " Give  Me  the  Value  of  My  Soul"— Fervor  of  the  Coeur 
d'Alenes— Letter  to  the  Sovereign  Pontiff— Reply  of  Pius  IX. 

FATHER  DE  SMET  regarded  the  pacification  of  the 
Sioux  as  but  the  prelude  to  their  conversion.  For 
twenty  years  he  had  held  the  belief  that  despite  their 
savagery  they  would  listen  to  the  teaching  of  the  Gospel. 
"Their  conversion,"  he  said,  "will  be  a  miracle  of  grace, 
but  with  God's  help  we  will  succeed.  In  my  intercourse 
with  the  Indians  I  have  always  found  them  respectful, 
diligent,  and  attentive  to  the  words  of  the  missionary, 
manifesting  a  strong  desire  to  see  their  children  instructed 
in  the  truths  of  religion,  and  nowhere  have  I  encountered  a 
spirit  of  opposition."  * 

Time  and  again  the  Sioux  had  clamored  for  Black  Robes, 
and  now  they  came  to  Fort  Rice  to  renew  their  entreaties. 
The  head  chief  of  the  Yanktons,  Two  Bears,  said  in  his 
speech:  "When  we  are  settled  down  sowing  grain,  raising 
cattle,  and  living  in  houses,  we  want  Father  De  Smet  to 
come  and  live  with  us,  and  to  bring  us  other  Black  Robes 
to  live  among  us  also.  We  will  listen  to  their  words,  and 
the  Great  Spirit  will  love  and  bless  us."  Father  De  Smet's 
Superiors  approved  his  project  for  founding  a  mission  for 
the  Sioux,2  but  men  and  money  were  lacking.     Hence  it 

1  Selected  Letters,  4th  Series,  p.  143. 

2  The  Father  General,  on  Nov.  16,  1867,  wrote  the  following  to  Father 
De  Smet:    "Accepi  et  magna  cum  jucunditate  legi  Revae  Vas  carissimas 


360     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

was  necessary  that  he  undertake  another  journey  to 
Europe. 

The  health  of  the  old  missionary  demanded  that  he 
should  rest  after  his  recent  journey  to  the  wilderness. 
He  writes :  ' '  This  letter  may  well  be  my  last.  My  health  is 
very  much  undermined  in  consequence  of  my  late  painful 
journey  of  about  six  thousand  miles,  but  still  more  by  the 
shocking  heat  that  we  have  suffered  for  three  months  past. 
In  proportion  as  I  advance  in  age,  heat  becomes  more  and 
more  insupportable  to  me.  Very  often  one  would  say 
that  I  resemble  a  man  whose  end  is  at  hand." 3  For  three 
years  he  had  been  threatened  with  loss  of  hearing  and 
Father  Coosemans,  his  Provincial,  wished  him  to  consult 
"some  good  old  Belgian  doctor."  So,  on  November  25, 
1868,  he  sailed  for  Europe. 

This  voyage  was  destined  to  add  another  burden  to  his 
infirmities.  Before  arriving  at  Liverpool,  the  boat  ran  into 
a  violent  storm,  during  which  Father  De  Smet  fell  on 
deck  and  broke  two  of  his  ribs,  not  receiving  proper  atten- 
tion until  he  landed  several  days  later.  In  spite  of  this  he 
set  out  almost  immediately  upon  his  begging  tour  through 
Belgium,  France,  and  Holland,4  and  the  following  June 
he  returned  to  America.  The  energy  and  activity  of  a  man 
of  his  years  are  truly  amazing:  in  sixteen  months  he  had 
traveled  fifteen  thousand  miles.  On  his  return  to  St. 
Louis  he  was  obliged  to  keep  to  his  room  for  several 
weeks,  and  alas!  abandon  his  journey  to  the  Sioux. 

The  following  autumn,  however,  he  managed  to  make 
""two  good  trips,"  one  of  1,200  miles,  the  other  of  800  miles. 
He  accompanied  as  far  as  Omaha  six  Sisters  of  Charity 
who  were  going  to  the  Blackfeet,  and  arranged  that  they 

litteras,  et  plurimas  gratias  ago  pro  notitiis  super  tribubus  Indorum  et  in 
specie  Jantonum.  Profecto  ea  quae  scribit  de  tanto  desiderio  tribus  istius, 
et  de  iteratis  tot  annis  supplicationibus  pro  obtinendo  sacerdote,  valde  me 
commovent,  et  plane  cupio  ut,  si  quid  fiere  possit  a  Provincia  vestra,  fiat. 
.  .  .  Scripsi  Patri  Provinciali  commendans  Revse  Vae  desideria,  et  aliunde 
jam  novi  ipsum  serio  idem  cupere,  velleque  omnino,  quam  primum  possit, 
manus  operi  admovere." 

3  To  Father  Terwecoren,  St.  Louis,  Aug.  28,  1868. 

4  During  this  visit  the  missionary  had  the  happiness  of  performing  the 
marriage  ceremony  of  his  nephew,  Paul  De  Smet  and  Mile.  Augusta  Ver- 
cruysse,  and  of  being  present  at  the  first  communion  of  his  grandniece, 
Maria  Cornet,  now  Mme.  Li^nart. 


FATHER  DE  SMET'S  LAST  LABORS        361 

should  travel  in  comfort  the  rest  of  their  journey,  himself 
paying  most  of  their  expenses. 

Then  he  visited  the  Potawatomies  of  Kansas;  the  In- 
dians and  missionaries  received  him  as  a  father,  but  it 
pained  him  to  see  there,  as  elsewhere,  the  demoralizing 
influence  of  the  whites  upon  the  Indians.  "If  the  mission- 
aries," he  writes,  "are  to  effect  real  good  among  the  sav- 
ages, under  the  present  circumstances,  they  will  need 
a  profound  humility,  a  truly  disinterested  zeal,  and  above 
all  a  sovereign  scorn  for  the  judgments  of  men."5 

But  with  all  this,  he  did  not  forget  the  Indians  of  the 
Upper  Missouri,  his  most  cherished  mission.  Never  had 
he  so  desired  a  foundation,  and  his  correspondence  from 
1864  reveals  his  constant  preoccupation  with  this  project.6 
At  last  he  felt  strong  enough  to  take  the  journey  to  that 
region,  and  departed  from  St.  Louis  on  June  1,  1870. 
Out  of  solicitude  for  the  missionary's  safety  and  comfort 
in  his  advanced  age,  his  Superiors  sent  Father  Panken, 
a  Hollander,  whom  Father  De  Smet  had  gained  for  the 
apostolate  in  1857,  to  accompany  him.  This  was  Father 
De  Smet's  last  visit  to  "his  children  of  the  desert."  How 
many  times  in  the  past  thirty  years  he  had  gone  up  the 
Missouri,  a  crucifix  in  one  hand,  the  olive  branch  in  the 
other!  Every  wigwam  brought  back  consoling  memories: 
thousands  of  children  baptized,  enemies  reconciled,  suffer- 
ing relieved,  and  souls  enlightened  in  the  mysteries  of 
faith.  Moreover,  he  could  see  the  beneficent  results  of  the 
peace  negotiated  two  years  before  by  himself.  The  Sioux 
were  living  on  most  friendly  terms  with  the  soldiers  at  the 
fort;  in  the  reservations  they  tilled  the  soil,  were  clothed 
by  the  Government,  and  received  weekly  rations  of  flour, 
meat,  coffee,  and  sugar.  From  all  directions  the  Indians 
flocked  to  greet  "the  great  Black  Robe,"  and  declared 
their  desire  to  remain  faithful  to  the  Fort  Rice  conventions. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Grand  River  was  a  large  reservation 
inhabited  by  Indians  of  different  tribes.  Its  central  posi- 
tion would  render  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  easy  through 
Dakota,  and  its  proximity  to  the  forts  would  enable  the 
missionaries  to  visit  the  soldiers  often,  of  whom  the  greater 

6  Selected  Letters,  4th  Series,  p.  199. 
6  Cf.  Chittenden-Richardson,  pp.  1279-1299. 
24 


362     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

part  were  Catholics.     It  was  here  he  wished  to  build  a 
new  foundation. 

During  this  journey  he  visited  about  twenty  thousand 
Sioux,  and  administered  baptism  to  four  hundred.  His 
resolutions  were  made,  a  mission  should  be  opened  the  next 
spring.  In  August,  fatigue  compelled  Father  De  Smet  to 
return  to  St.  Louis. 

On  March  20,  1871,  he  wrote  his  relatives  in  Belgium: 
"To-day  I  begin  my  annual  retreat  as  a  preparation  for  a 
long  journey  to  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  Far  West.  Two 
Fathers  will  accompany  me,  and  we  intend  to  establish 
a  mission  for  the  Sioux.  The  head  chiefs  of  the  tribe 
are  expecting  me,  and  I  have  just  written  to  inform 
them  of  my  plans  and  to  ask  them  to  prepare  a  cabin 
for  us  in  their  camp.  I  send  you  the  names  of  these 
chiefs;  they  are  my  intimate  friends,  and  you,  too,  will 
love  them  for  my  sake,  I  am  sure,  and  will  pray  for  their 
conversion."  7 

But  the  long-cherished  project  was  destined  never  to  be 
realized.  His  failing  strength  was  not  equal  to  the  labor 
involved,  and,  moreover,  the  time  was  not  propitious  for  a 
foundation.  A  recent  decision  of  the  Government  endan- 
gered the  future  of  the  existing  missions,  namely,  Grant's 
Indian  Peace  Policy.  The  conqueror  of  Richmond,  elected 
to  the  Presidency  in  1868,  had  rallied  all  parties,  and  in- 
augurated a  "peace  policy"  in  the  United  States.  He 
proclaimed  that  he  wished  equally  to  bring  about  a  good 
understanding  between  the  whites  and  Indians,  and  to 
accomplish  this  two  factors  were  necessary :  the  agent  and 
the  missionary. 

On  December  5,  1870,  the  President  informed  Congress 
in  a  message  that  "Indian  agencies  being  civil  offices, 
I  determined  to  give  all  the  agencies  to  such  religious  de- 
nominations as  had  heretofore  established  missionaries 
among  the  Indians,  and  perhaps  to  some  other  denomina- 
tions who  would  undertake  the  work  on  the  same  terms, 
i.e.,  as  missionary  work."  Representatives  of  the  different 
denominations  designated  in  the  order  would  henceforth 
enjoy  the  privilege  of  naming  the  agents  in  the  reservations 

7  To  Felix  and  Elmira  Cornet-De  Smet. 


FATHER  DE  SMET'S  LAST  LABORS        363 

where  they  had  missions,  upon  the  sole  condition  of  sub- 
mitting their  choice  for  the  approval  of  the  President. 

This  seemed  to  be  a  triumph  for  faith  and  civilization. 
The  Indians  would  no  longer  be  imposed  upon  by  function- 
aries who  enriched  themselves  at  their  expense.  Acting 
in  concert,  the  missionary  and  the  agent  would  both  gain 
in  authority,  and  more  abundant  resources  would  enable 
them  to  increase  the  number  of  schools. 

The  Catholic  Church,  especially,  could  congratulate  itself 
upon  President  Grant's  rulings,  since  the  greater  number  of 
the  agencies  had  been  evangelized  by  its  missionaries,8 
and  which  numbered  over  a  hundred  thousand  neophytes 
among  the  Indians.  The  Protestant  sects  numbered  less 
than  fifteen  thousand  adherents.  Great  was  the  astonish- 
ment three  days  later  to  learn  that  a  Jew  had  been  ap- 
pointed Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs  in  Oregon.  From 
that  instant  Catholics  knew  what  to  expect  from  promises 
of  the  Government. 

In  January,  1871,  Secretary  of  the  Interior  Delano 
consulted  the  episcopacy  upon  the  choice  of  a  representa- 
tive to  nominate  Catholic  agents.  Father  De  Smet  was 
proposed  by  the  Archbishops  of  Baltimore,  New  York, 
Cincinnati,  and  St.  Louis.  Called  to  Washington,  the 
veteran  missionary  found  himself  in  the  company  of  about 
thirty  ministers  of  the  reformed  church,  likewise  summoned 
to  give  their  advice  on  the  means  of  civilizing  the  tribes.. 
They  claimed  the  lion's  share  in  the  partitioning  of  the 
agencies.  "Neither  my  presence,  nor  my  demands  in  be- 
half of  the  Catholic  missions,  produced  any  effect.  The 
plan  for  civilizing  and  evangelizing  the  Indians  had  al- 
ready been  decided  upon  by  the  President  and  approved 
by  the  Senate."9 

Afterward  it  was  learned  that  instead  of  forty  nomina- 
tions to  which  the  Catholics  were  entitled,  only  eight  had 
been   accorded   to   them,10   the   remainder  being  divided 

8  Besides  the  Jesuit  missions,  there  were  missions  established  by  the 
Franciscans,  Oblates,  and  secular  priests. 

9  Account  addressed  to  Dr.  Linton. 

10  These  agencies  were  the  Tulalip  and  Colville  agencies  in  Washington ; 
the  Grande  Ronde  and  Umatilla  agencies  in  Oregon;  those  of  the  Flatheads 
in  Montana;  those  of  the  Papagos  in  Arizona,  and  those  of  Grand  River  and 
Devil's  Lake  in  Dakota. 


364     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

among  the  different  sects.  The  President  favored  especially 
his  coreligionists,  the  Methodists,  in  granting  to  them  a 
third  of  the  agencies. 

The  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs  began  the  dis- 
charge of  his  new  functions  by  making  over  the  Catholic 
schools  and  churches  to  his  Protestant  friends,  and,  in  the 
■t  case  of  the  Yakimas,  forbade  Catholic  missionaries  to  en- 
ter the  reservation.  At  one  stroke,  eighty  thousand  In- 
dians, without  being  consulted,  found  themselves  torn 
from  the  Church  or  exposed  to  apostasy.  But  this  was 
not  all.  Large  sums  of  money  due  the  Indians  in  exchange 
for  their  lands  were  held  by  the  Government,  and  the  in- 
terest on  this  was  used  for  the  upkeep  of  the  schools. 
Henceforth  this  money  would  be  expended  on  the  salaries 
of  Methodist,  Presbyterian,  and  Quaker  school-teachers, 
employed  to  teach  the  children  of  Catholic  Indians.  In 
this  manner  did  the  Government  repay  the  services  ren- 
dered their  country  by  the  Catholic  missionaries. 

"If  it  be  true,"  writes  a  journalist,  "that  the  Indians 
are  condemned  to  annihilation,  should  they  not  at  least 
be  allowed  to  choose  the  faith  in  which  they  wish  to  die? 
Baptized  and  instructed  as  Catholics,  the  Indians  have 
been  divided  between  the  various  denominations,  and  the 
missionaries;  who  collected  money  in  Europe  for  evan- 
gelizing these  poor  savages,  are  now  expelled  from  the 
missions  they  founded.  Incredible  as  this  seems,  documen- 
tary proofs  of  this  condition  of  things  are  now  in  the  hands 
of  General  Grant.  It  is  horrible  to  think  that  these  Indians, 
who  have  immortal  souls  as  well  as  the  negroes  lately  set 
free,  are  divided  into  bands  and  placed  under  ministers 
of  every  denomination,  regardless  of  their  own  wishes 
and  convictions."  u 

Nor  were  Father  De  Smet's  missions  spared.  In  the 
Rocky  Mountains  the  Flatheads  were  the  only  tribe  that 
had  a  Catholic  agent.  The  missionary  in  charge  had  to 
cover  a  distance  of  ninety  miles  to  visit  his  flock.  The 
Quakers  established  themselves  in  the  Kansas  "reduc- 
tions," and  were  guilty  of  shameful  extortions.  "One 
can  scarcely  believe  that  such  a  state  of  things  could  exist 
in  the  republic  of  the  United  States,  so  much  vaunted  for 

11  New   York  Freeman's  Journal,  Dec.  14,  1872. 


GRANT'S  PEACE  POLICY  365 

its  liberty."  With  touching  confidence  which  nothing 
could  shake,  he  adds,  "We  pray  and  hope  that  justice  will 
be  done."12 

Not  content  with  praying,  the  intrepid  veteran  re- 
doubled his  efforts;  he  exerted  himself  to  obtain  men  of 
recognized  integrity  for  the  posts  at  his  disposal,13  and 
fully  informed  himself  through  the  missionaries  upon  con- 
ditions in  each  reservation  and  upon  the  relations  existing 
between  the  agents  and  the  Indians. 

On  March  27,  187 1,  he  addressed  to  General  Parker, 
Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  a  long  account  of  the 
situation,  notably  in  Montana,  Idaho,  and  Washington 
territories.  The  Nez  Perces,  a  tribe  almost  exclusively 
Catholic,  were  handed  over  to  the  Presbyterians.  The 
chief  of  the  Spokanes  was  threatened  with  imprisonment 
for  having  tried  to  restrain  the  licentiousness  of  his  tribe. 
The  Catholic  agent  among  the  Blackfeet  had  been  replaced 
by  a  sectarian  as  debauched  as  he  was  malicious.  In 
Dakota,  where  the  Sioux  clamored  for  Black  Robes,  all  the 
agencies  but  two  had  been  given  to  Protestants. 

Recalling  the  services  rendered  by  his  fellow-mission- 
aries, Father  De  Smet  demanded  for  them  the  right  to  pur- 
sue their  apostolate  unhindered :  ' '  For  thirty  years  we  have 
labored  among  the  benighted  tribes  of  the  Far  West  with 
only  the  view  of  promoting  the  knowledge  of  God  among 
them  and  adding  to  their  temporal  welfare.  We  have  di- 
vided with  them  the  little  means  placed  at  our  disposal,  and 
often  have  we  joyfully  shared  their  poverty  and  privations." 

Four  years  before  General  Parker  had  owed  the  success  of 
his  office  among  the  Sioux  to  Father  De  Smet,  and  common 
justice  required  that  he  now  should  accede  to  the  priest's 
request.  But  for  the  moment  the  Indians  were  quiet, 
so  why  consider  a  priest  whose  services  were  no  longer 
necessary?  The  letter  remained  unanswered.  For  a  year 
Father  De  Smet  repeated  his  requests  at  Washington.  He 
could  not  resign  himself  to  see  his  neophytes  become 
Methodists  and  free-thinkers.     He  wrote  the  Secretary  of 

12  St.  Louis,  May  3,  1871,  Cf.  Letters  and  Notices,  1871,  p.  329. 

13  Father  De  Smet  had  Major  O'Connor  appointed  to  the  agency  at  Grand 
River,  and  Major  Jones  to  the  agency  among  the  Flatheads,  both  of  whom 
were  exemplary  Catholics. 


366     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

the  Interior:  "All  that  the  Catholic  bishops  and  mission- 
aries aim  at,  in  this  country  of  religious  liberty,  is  to  be 
allowed  their  rights,  in  accordance  with  their  call  from 
above,  to  evangelize  the  Indians  who  have  received  them 
with  joy,  and  not  to  be  turned  out  of  the  missions  where 
they  have  labored  for  years  with  zeal  and  fervor  for  the 
welfare  and  salvation  of  the  Indians,  as  has  been  the  case 
in  several  sections."  14 

Like  his  colleague  on  Indian  Affairs,  the  Secretary  of 
the  Interior  did  not  deign  to  reply  to  the  grievances  of  a 
Jesuit.  Wearied  at  last  with  fruitless  protestations,  and 
in  the  knowledge  that  the  right  to  appoint  agents  de- 
pended for  each  diocese  upon  the  Bishop,  Father  De  Smet 
sent  in  his  resignation  as  representative. 

The  Indians  found  it  difficult  to  get  along  with  their  new 
masters,  and  felt  like  orphans  since  the  departure  of  the 
Black  Robes.  They  sent  frequent  messages  to  the  Great 
Father  at  Washington,  entreating  him  to  give  them  back 
their  Catholic  agents,  their  priests,  and  their  Catholic 
schools.  Such  petitions  received  scant  recognition  at  the 
White  House,  the  religious  convictions  of  the  Indians  being 
of  as  little  importance  in  the  eyes  of  the  Government  as 
their  lives  and  property. 

Without  the  slightest  provocation,  the  soldiers  gave 
themselves  over  to  fearful  massacres.15  Then  came  the 
revolt  of  Sitting  Bull  and  the  bloody  death  of  Custer, 
slaughtered  together  with  his  regiment,16  which  opened  the 

14  St.  Louis,  June  19,  1872. 

15  "Had  it  not  been  for  the  influence  exercised  by  the  missionaries,  the 
injustice  inflicted  on  the  Flatheads  and  Pend  d'Oreilles  would  long  ago 
have  made  them  revolt."  (Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  1869,  p.  254.) 

"The  whites  to-day  occupy  Idaho  and  Montana  territories  to  the  great 
detriment  of  the  Indians.  American  soldiers  have  lately  committed  fresh 
massacres  in  which  one  hundred  and  seventy-three  Indians,  mostly  women 
and  children,  have  perished."  (Letter  from  Father  De  Smet  to  G.  Van 
Kerckhove,  St.  Louis,  March  8,  1870.) 

On  April  30,  1871,  about  five  hundred  Apaches  were  put  to  death  near 
Camp  Grant  in  Arizona.  Cf.  Helen  Hunt  Jackson,  "A  Century  of  Dis- 
honor," p.  325,  et  seq. 

16  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  1 868,  at  Fort  Rice,  the  United  States 
guaranteed  to  the  Sioux  possession  of  the  Bad  Lands  north  of  the  Niobrara. 
Some  years  later  gold  was  discovered  in  the  Black  Hills,  and  miners  over- 
ran the  country  and  took  complete  possession  of  it.  Again  and  again 
the   Indians  appealed  to  Washington  without  redress.     This  occupation 


GRANT'S  PEACE  POLICY  367 

eyes  of  legislators  to  the  state  of  things.  But  Father  De 
Smet  was  not  there  to  repair  the  faults  and  mistakes  made 
by  the  American  Government,  and  to  bring  about  peace 
when  the  burdens  of  war  had  made  it  too  heavy  to  continue. 

Despite  persecutions,  the  Catholic  Indians  with  but  few 
exceptions  remained  faithful  to  the  Church. 

A  Methodist  minister  who  for  some  time  had  labored  to 
turn  Ignace,  the  chief  of  the  Yakimas,  from  his  faith, 
asked  him  one  day  how  much  he  would  want  for  changing 
to  Protestantism. 

"A  big  price,"  the  chief  answered  him. 

"Two  hundred  dollars?" 

"More  than  that." 

"Then  how  much?    Five  hundred,  six  hundred  dollars?" 

"Oh,  more  than  that!" 

"Indeed!    State  your  price." 

"The  price  of  my  soul."17 

It  was  thus  that  the  Christian  spirit,  united  to  Indian 
pride,  made  these  primitive  natures  admirable  types  of 
nobility  and  fidelity. 

But  of  all  the  tribes,  the  Cceur  d'Alenes  were  distin- 
guished for  their  devotion  to  the  Church.  "During  the 
fifteen  years  I  have  known  them,"  writes  Father  Joset, 
"never  has  their  faith  been  so  ardent  as  now.  I  am  con- 
vinced that  if  we  had  sufficient  means,  these  Indians  would 
outrival  the  Paraguay  missions."18  Learning  in  187 1  of 
the  Pope's  situation  and  that  the  Italian  Government  had 
seized  Rome,  the  Cceur  d'Alenes  immediately  addressed 
to  Pius  IX  the  assurance  of  their  filial  attachment : 

' '  Most  merciful  Father,  it  is  not  temerity,  but  love  which 
moves  us  to  write  to  you.  We  are,  it  is  true,  the  most 
humble  of  all  the  Indian  tribes,  while  you  are  the  greatest 
among  living  men.  But  you  were  the  first  to  cast  a  look 
of  pity  upon  us.    Yes,  Father,  thirty  winters  ago  we  were 

of  land,  added  to  the  villainy  of  the  agents,  provoked  an  uprising  of  the 
tribes  in  1876.  Sitting  Bull,  in  the  valley  of  the  Little  Big  Horn,  surprised 
General  Custer,  who  perished  with  seventeen  officers  and  more  than  three 
hundred  soldiers.  The  maddened  victors  mutilated  the  bodies  in  a  shock- 
ing manner. 

17  Letter  from  Father  Grassi  to  Catholic  Missions,  1873,  p.  15. 

18  Letter  from  Father  De  Smet  to  the  Catholic  Review,  Aug.  9,  1872. 


368     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

a  savage  people,  miserable  in  both  body  and  soul  until 
you  sent  us  the  great  Black  Robe,  Father  De  Smet,  to  make 
us  children  of  God  through  baptism.  We  were  blind, 
and  you  sent  him  to  open  our  eyes.  Many  of  us  were  still 
in  darkness  when  Father  De  Smet  left  us;  then  you  sent 
us  another  Black  Robe,  our  good  Father  Nicholas,19  who 
came  and  lived  with  us  and  awakened  us,  directing  us  in 
the  path  that  leads  to  heaven.  And  how  many  other 
Fathers  have  you  not  given  us  to  teach  us  and  our  chil- 
dren the  law  of  God  and  make  us  better  Christians. 

"Hence,  Father,  hearing  that  you  are  in  affliction,  we 
wish  to  thank  you  for  your  charity,  and  express  to  you  our 
great  love  and  deep  sorrow  in  learning  that  some  of  your 
wicked  children  continue  to  cause  you  suffering  after  hav- 
ing robbed  you  of  your  house. 

"Although  we  are  only  poor  Indians,  ignorant  of  the 
amenities  of  life,  we  regard  such  conduct  as  a  crime.  Only 
fifty  years  ago,  we  ourselves  were  still  savages,  but  we 
would  not  have  dared  to  act  thus  had  we  known  that  the 
dignity  and  power  of  the  Pope  come  from  Christ.  For 
this  reason  we  have  prayed  and  will  continue  to  pray 
with  all  the  ardor  poor  Indians  are  capable  of,  for  thee, 
Father,  and  for  the  entire  Church.  Moreover,  having 
come  from  our  various  camps  to  assemble  in  the  mission 
church,  we  have  for  nine  days  said  many  prayers  and 
performed  acts  of  virtue  which  we  offer  to  the  Heart  of 
Jesus  for  thee.  This  morning  we  counted  our  acts  and  de- 
votions and  found  they  numbered  120,527.  Judging  this 
insufficient,  we  offered  our  own  hearts  for  our  excellent 
Father,  the  Pope,  in  the  assured  belief  that  this  offering 
will  not  be  rejected. 

"We  have  a  number  of  soldiers,  not  trained  for  war, 
but  to  keep  order  in  our  camp.  If  these  men  can  be  of 
service  to  the  Pope,  we  offer  them  joyfully,  and  they 
will  esteem  themselves  fortunate  in  being  able  to  spill 
their  blood  and  give  their  lives  for  our  good  Father  Pius  IX. 

"And  now  may  we  tell  you  our  fears  and  misgivings? 
The  sellers  of  whiskey  are  daily  drawing  nearer.  We 
fear  to  betray  our  Saviour  in  taking  back  the  hearts  we 
have  given  Him.     Help  us,   and  strengthen  us  by  thy 

19  Father  Nicholas  Point. 


GRANT'S  PEACE  POLICY  369 

prayers !  But  our  dear  children  are  still  more  to  be  pitied, 
because  they  are  more  exposed;  not  so  much  our  sons, 
who  have  real  fathers  in  the  Black  Robes,  but  our  daugh- 
ters, who  as  yet  have  no  kind  mothers  to  look  after  them. 
We  have  often  asked  for  Black  Robes  of  their  sex,  but  our 
voices  are  too  weak  to  be  heard,  and  we  are  too  poor  to 
do  more  than  ask.  Who  will  send  us  good  mothers  to 
instruct  our  daughters  and  strengthen  them  against  the 
enemy  that  draws  near,  if  not  thou,  who  hast  always  had 
compassion  on  us,  even  when  we  were  pagans? 

"These  are  the  sentiments  of  our  hearts,  but  as  we  poor 
Indians  attach  little  value  to  expressions  of  feeling  unless 
they  are  accompanied  by  material  gifts,  we  have  collected 
dollars  and  small  coins,  that  we  may  give  you,  so  to  speak, 
a  piece  of  our  own  flesh,  as  a  measure  of  our  sincerity. 
Notwithstanding  our  poverty,  to  our  great  surprise  we 
have  been  able  to  collect  $110. 

"And  now,  Father,  once  again  allow  us  to  open  our 
hearts.  Oh,  how  happy  we  would  be,  despite  our  unworthi- 
ness,  could  we  receive  a  word  from  your  lips,  a  word  that 
will  help  us  and  our  wives  and  children  to  find  an  entry 
into  the  Heart  of-  Jesus ! 

"Vincent,  of  the  Stellam  family. 
"Andrew  Seltis,  of  the  family  of  Emote." 

If  we  reflect  that  the  Cceur  d'Alenes  formerly  passed  for 
the  most  ferocious  of  the  mountain  tribes,  we  shall  see  in 
their  naive  and  generous  piety  an  extraordinary  fruit  of 
grace.  The  Father  General  presented  the  letter  to  Pius 
IX,  who  in  reading  it  forgot  for  the  moment  the  misery  of 
his  captivity.  If  old  Europe  repudiated  the  Faith,  the 
Church  now  beheld  new  sons  coming  to  her  from  the  other 
side  of  the  ocean,  their  fresh  souls  ignorant  of  falsehood  and 
opposed  to  vice  and  error  with  a  fidelity  worthy  of  the  early 
Christians. 

The  Holy  Father's  reply  reads: 

"Beloved  Sons,  salutation  and  apostolic  benediction! 

"The  devoted  sentiments  which  you,  in  the  simplicity 
of  your  hearts  express,  have  caused  us  great  joy.  Your 
sorrow  over  the  attacks  made  against  the  Church,  as  well 
as  your  devotion  and  filial  love  for  the  Holy  See,  is  a  striking 
proof  of  the  faith  and  charity  that  fill  your  hearts,  attach- 


370     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

ing  you  firmly  to  the  center  of  unity.  For  this  reason  we 
feel  certain  that  your  prayers  and  supplications  which  rise 
unceasingly  to  God  will  be  efficacious  for  us  and  for  the 
Church,  and  we  accept  with  deep  feelings  of  gratitude  the 
offering  of  your  generous  charity.  The  hand  of  God  pro- 
tects those  who  seek  Him  sincerely,  and  we  believe  that 
your  good  words  will  obtain  the  grace  to  resist  the  dangers 
of  corruption  that  threaten  you,  and  the  spiritual  help 
which  you  desire  for  your  daughters.  We  beg  God  to 
complete  in  you  the  work  of  grace,  and  to  fill  you  with  His 
choicest  blessings.  As  a  presage  of  this  and  a  token  of 
our  gratitude  and  paternal  favor,  we  give  you  from  our 
heart  the  apostolic  benediction. 

"Given  at  Rome,  near  St.  Peter's,  July  31,  1871,  in  the 
twenty-sixth  year  of  our  Pontificate. 

"Pius  IX,  Pope."20 

In  transmitting  to  Father  De  Smet  these  encouraging 
words,  the  Father  General  writes:  "This  is  the  first  brief 
that  has  ever  been  addressed  to  an  Indian  chief  by  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff."  It  was  on  August  15,  1872,  that  the 
reply  of  Pius  IX  was  communicated  to  the  Cceur  d'Alenes. 
Father  Cataldo  had  convoked  an  assembly  of  several 
mountain  tribes,  each  one  of  which  was  represented  by  a 
large  delegation.  At  the  appointed  hour  they  formed  in 
procession,  headed  by  twelve  acolytes  in  surplices  with 

20"Dilecti  Filii,  salutem  et  apostolicam  benedictionem! 

"lis  devotionis  sensibus,  quos  in  simplicitate  cordis  vestri  Nobis  signi- 
ficastis,  Dilecti  Filii,  non  mediocriter  delectati  sumus,  cum  in  dolore  a  vobis 
concepto  ob  insectationes  Ecclesias,  non  minus  quam  in  filiali  erga  hanc 
Sanctam  Sedem  obsequio  et  amore,  splendescere  viderimus  fidem  illam  et 
caritatem,  quae  diffusa  est  in  cordibus  vestris,  quasque,  vos  huic  Unitatis 
centro  arctius  obstringit.  Quocirca,  sicuti  non  dubitamus  quin  orationes  et 
obsecrationes  vestrae,  fidenter  et  instanter  elatas  ad  Deum,  suffragaturae 
sint  Ecclesias  et  Nobis,  sic  stipem  a  vobis  tanto  corrogatam  amore  pretiosis- 
simam  ducimus.  Et  quoniam  manus  Domini  est  super  omnes  quasrentes 
eum  in  bonitate,  confidimus  pia  opera  vestra  conciliatura  quoque  vobis  esse, 
cum  auxilium  adversus  curruptionis,  pericula  quae  timetis,  turn  spiritualia 
subsidia  quae  pro  filiabus  vestris  concupiscitis.  Nos  certe  Deum  rogamus 
ut  gratiae  sua?  opus  in  vobis  plenius  semper  perficiat,  vosque  suis  omnibus 
ditet  muneribus.  Horum  autem  auspicem,  et  grati  animi  Nostri  acpaternae 
benevolentiae  pignus,  apostolicam  benedictionem  vobis  peramanter  imper- 
timus. 

"  Datum  Romae  apud  S.  Petrum,  die  31  julii,  anno  1871,  Pontificatus  Nostri 
anno  vicesimo  sexto. 

"Pius  P.  P.  IX." 


GRANT'S  PEACE  POLICY  371 

tapers  in  their  hands.  Then  came  the  missionaries  in 
copes  and  dalmatics,  preceding  a  statue  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  placed  on  a  dais  ornamented  with  flowers  and  gar- 
lands and  carried  by  the  four  head  chiefs.  To  the  right 
and  left  of  the  statue  walked  two  lines  of  Indian  soldiers 
in  full  dress  and  armed.  Then  followed  an  immense  con- 
course in  serried  ranks,  reciting  the  rosary  and  chanting 
litanies. 

The  procession  stopped  before  the  improvised  altar. 
High  Mass  was  said  in  the  open  and  many  neophytes  re- 
ceived holy  communion.  The  ceremony  over,  one  of  the 
missionaries  read  in  Latin  the  pontifical  letter  and  it  was 
then  translated  into  the  dialects  of  the  Cceur  d'Alenes, 
Kalispels,  Kettles,  Nez  Perces,  and  Yakimas.  Every  head 
was  bowed  to  receive  the  Holy  Father's  benediction,  and 
from  that  time  the  redskins  felt  themselves  ennobled. 
The  brief  that  they  had  just  heard  read  was  their  charter 
of  admittance  into  the  fold  of  Christ. 

As  for  Father  De  Smet,  he  found  in  the  Holy  Father's 
benevolence  and  in  the  neophytes'  fervor  the  greatest 
recompense  for  his  labors. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

FATHER  DE  SMET's   LAST  VOYAGE   TO   EUROPE HIS  RETREAT 

IN  ST.   LOUIS — HIS  RELIGIOUS  VIRTUES HIS  DEATH 

(1872-1873)         • 

Father  De  Smet's  Serious  Illness  in  Brussels — He  Thinks  of  Living  in 
Belgium  and  Opening  a  School  There  for  Apostolic  Work — His  Jubilee 
as  a  Jesuit — His  Retreat — New  Edition  of  the  "Letters" — He  Begins 
the  History  of  the  Origin  of  the  Missouri  Province — Father  De  Smet's 
Intercourse  with  His  Fellow- Jesuits — He  is  Esteemed  by  Outsiders — 
Dr.  Linton — The  "  Linton  Album  " — The  Missionary  Traveled  Nearly 
261,000  Miles — Father  De  Smet's  Spirit  of  Faith — His  Love  of  the 
Religious  Life — How  He  Practiced  Poverty  and  Obedience — His 
Piety — His  Devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  St.  Anthony,  the  Souls  in 
Purgatory — Last  Illness — Farewell  to  the  Indians — His  Last  Letter 
to  His  Family — His  Death — His  Funeral — Bishop  Ryan's  Panegyric — 
The  Grief  of  the  Indians — How  Father  De  Smet's  Work  Lives  After 
Him. 

ON  July  i,  187 1,  Father  De  Smet  sailed  from  New  York 
on  his  last  journey  to  Belgium  in  search  of  men  and 
money  for  his  missions.  After  visiting  his  native  country 
he  spent  the  rest  of  the  year  in  traveling  through  Holland, 
Luxemburg,  the  north  of  France,  England,  and  Ireland. 
Never  had  he  displayed  more  zeal  nor  obtained  greater 
success. 

"What  are  the  principal  obstacles  to  the  conversion  of 
the  savages?"  he  was  asked.  "There  is  only  one,"  he 
replied,  ' '  the  scarcity  of  priests.  If  we  had  enough  priests 
to  instruct  the  Indians  they  would  all  become  Catholics." 

New  apostles  presented  themselves,  attracted  by  the 
hope  of  a  rich  harvest  of  souls,  and  nine  were  accepted  to- 
return  to  America  with  the  eminent  missionary.1  In 
Brussels,  Antwerp,  Ghent,  Tournai,  and  Bruges  charitable 
and  generous  women  gave  quantities  of  ornaments  and 
sacred  vessels  for  the  mission  churches. 

1  Father  Guidi,  then  in  his  third  year  at  Tronchiennes,  was  of  this  number. 


LAST  JOURNEY  TO  EUROPE  373 

In  January,  Father  De  Smet  was  forced  to  interrupt  his 
travels  and  give  up  the  conferences  he  usually  made  with 
young  college  students.  "I  am  so  weak,"  he  writes,  "that 
even  a  short  conversation  tires  me.  The  doctor  orders 
complete  rest  and  forbids  all  work  or  preoccupation  for 
the  missions."  2 

On  February  12th,  at  the  College  in  Brussels,  he  was  sud- 
denly seized  with  a  violent  attack  of  nephritis,  accom- 
panied by  frequent  hemorrhages.  It  was  thought  neces- 
sary to  bleed  him,  an  operation  very  repugnant  to  the 
invalid ;  he  resigned  himself  to  it  only  by  submission  to  the 
rule  of  St.  Ignatius  which  enjoins  obedience  to  the  physi- 
cian. His  condition  improved  after  a  few  days,  but  his 
strength  returned  so  slowly  that  Dr.  Cranincx,  his  old 
schoolmate  at  Mechlin,  did  not  disguise  his  anxiety. 

During  the  past  two  or  three  years,  when  it  had  seemed 
likely  he  would  not  be  able  to  continue  his  missionary  work, 
he  had  thought  of  returning  to  Belgium  to  live,  founding 
there  a  training-school  for  apostolic  work.  A  proof  that 
he  seriously  contemplated  this  step  is  found  in  the  follow- 
ing lines  written  by  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Charles  Van 
Mossevelde :  ' '  During  Father  De  Smet's  stay  in  Termonde, 
we  often  went  to  my  country-place,  Saint-Gilles,  and  there 
in  the  garden  we  chose  a  spot  for  the  chapel  and  the  insti- 
tution which  he  proposed  to  erect  with  the  consent  of  his 
Superiors,  to  be  opened  as  a  novitiate  for  the  American 
missions  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  This  was  to  have  been 
built  at  my  expense. 

"Although  ill  and  enfeebled  after  his  last  crossing,  he 
could  not  be  persuaded  to  rest.  Ever  confiding  in  God's 
help,  he  hoped  to  regain  his  strength  sufficiently  to  return 
to  his  dear  Indians.  'Oh,'  said  he,  and  it  slipped  out 
through  excess  of  devotion  to  his  missions,  for  he  loved  us 
too  much  to  dispel  our  hopes  of  having  him  with  us  in  his 
declining  years,  'if  I  must  die  soon,  I  trust  God  will  let 
me  die  in  the  midst  of  my  Indians.' "  3 

2  To  Charles  Van  Mossevelde,  Antwerp,  Jan.  30,  1872. 

3  To  Father  Deynoodt,  Termonde,  Dec.  8,  1873. 

More  than  once  Father  De  Smet  himself  made  illusion  in  his  letters  to 
this  project:  "Dear  Rosalie,  our  conversations  often  return  to  the  subject 
of  erecting  a  chapel  at  Boomwijck,  an  agreeable  perspective  for  me,  now 
that  I  am  nearing  my  seventieth  year  with  the  infirmities  that  usually  ac- 


374     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

In  November,  1872,  Father  Boeteman  opened  an  apos- 
tolic school  at  Turnhout,  next  to  Mr.  De  Nef's  old  college, 
which  had  been  prospering  for  forty  years.  Father  De  Smet 
took  pleasure  in  encouraging  this  new  work;  he  inter- 
ested generously-disposed  people  in  the  cause,  and  sent 
them  promising  young  men.4 

After  a  sojourn  of  nine  months  in  Europe,  the  missionary 
longed  to  return  to  his  neophytes,  but  his  friends  tried  to 
dissuade  him  from  taking  the  long  journey,  telling  him 
that  even  if  he  survived  the  voyage  he  would  languish  in  a 
state  of  invalidism,  for  the  malady  from  which  he  suffered 
was  incurable.  All  that  was  human  in  him  said:  Stay! 
But  a  voice  stronger  than  that  of  nature,  the  voice  of  zeal 
and  charity,  cried  out:  Go!  You  may  still,  in  that  far-off 
country,  accomplish  much  good.  Go  to  your  beloved 
Indians;  take  them  once  more  the  fruit  of  your  labors,  your 
last  words,  and  if  need  be,  your  last  sigh ! 

And  the  old  man  went,  tearing  himself  from  his  beloved 
family  and  friends.  On  April  7,  1872,  he  sailed  from  Ant- 
werp with  nine  other  missionaries,  arriving  eighteen  days 
later  at  St.  Louis,  never  to  leave  it  again. 

On  October,  10,  187 1,  St.  Louis  University  was  the  scene 
of  a  solemn  and  affecting  ceremony,  when  Fathers  Van 
Assche  and  Verreydt  celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary 
of  their  entrance  into  the  novitiate  at  Whitemarsh.  They, 
with  Father  De  Smet,  were  the  last  surviving  members  of 
Father  Nerinckx's  little  band.5  From  all  parts  of  Mis- 
souri came  the  Jesuits  to  offer  their  congratulations  to  the 
pioneers  of  the  Gospel,  who  with  Father  Van  Quickenborne, 

company  this  age,  and  from  which  I  am  not  exempt.  We  all  cherish  illu- 
sions at  times,  and  this  is  permissible  when  one  leaves  all  in  God's  hands  in 
perfect  submission  to  His  holy  will."  (To  Charles  and  Rosalie  Van  Mosse- 
velde,  St.  Louis,  April  21,  1870.) 

4  "In  helping  this  institution  you  are  rendering  a  great  service  to  the 
cause  of  Catholicism.  From  Turnhout  will  go  forth  in  time  young  apostles, 
who,  after  the  example  of  the  first  twelve,  shall  spread  throughout  the  world 
the  gracious  light  of  the  Gospel;  in  which  work  you  will  share  through  your 
zeal,  help,  and  prayers."  (To  Mile.  Athalie  Werbrouck,  St.  Louis,  Nov.  8, 
1872.) 

5  Father  Verhaegen  died  at  St.  Charles  in  1868,  after  having  filled  the 
office  of  Rector  of  the  University  and  Provincial  of  the  Missouri  and  Mary- 
land Provinces.  Father  Van  Assche  died  at  Florissant  in  1877;  Father 
Verreydt  at  Cincinnati  in  1883. 


LAST  JOURNEY  TO  EUROPE  375 

upon  the  hill  overlooking  the  village  of  Florissant,  had  laid 
the  cradle  of  the  Province. 

Detained  in  Europe,  Father  De  Smet  was  unable  to  take 
part  in  this  happy  celebration.  He  was  compensated  in  a 
measure,  however,  by  the  tokens  of  sympathy  that  came 
to  him  from  all  parts;  the  missionaries  promised  to  say 
many  Masses  for  him  in  gratitude  for  all  he  had  done  for 
them;  the  children  of  St.  Ignatius'  Mission  sent  to  St.  Louis 
a  list  of  communions,  prayers,  and  rosaries  offered  for 
"their  good  Father,"  on  the  occasion  of  his  jubilee. 

Nine  years  had  passed  since  Father  De  Smet's  last  visit 
to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  One  day  the  Cceur  d'Alenes 
came  to  Father  Cataldo,  saying:  "We  wish  to  invite  the 
great  Black  Robe  to  come  once  more  to  visit  us. "  "  Father 
De  Smet  is  an  old  man,"  replied  the  missionary,  "it  will  be 
difficult  for  him  to  make  such  a  journey."  "Be  it  so. 
But  at  least  it  will  give  him  pleasure  to  hear  that  the 
Cceur  d'Alenes  keep  him  ever  in  grateful  remembrance."6 

The  Flatheads  and  Kalispels  professed  the  same  attach- 
ment, and  also  pleaded  for  a  visit  from  the  beloved  mis- 
sionary. "Gladly  would  I  undertake  the  journey  did  my 
health  permit.  It  may  be  possible  in  the  spring,  but  I 
must  tell  you  the  doctor  gives  me  little  hope  and  says  I  am 
un  oiseau  pour  le  chat,"  he  was  forced  to  reply.  Then 
alluding  to  the  wrongs  suffered  by  the  Flatheads,7  he  says, 
in  a  letter  to  Father  Giorda,  "I  share  in  their  sufferings 
and  pray  daily  for  their  happiness  and  that  they  may 
persevere  in  the  Faith.  I  ask  the  same  grace  for  the  Pend 
d'Oreilles,  the  Cceur  d'Alenes,  the  Kqotenais,  etc.  I  am 
firmly  convinced  that  their  good  Fathers  will  not  abandon 
them."8 

6  The  Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  1874,  p.  352. 

7  From  1870  the  Government  unceasingly  urged  the  Flatheads  to  leave 
the  Bitter  Root  Mountains,  and,  with  the  Kalispels,  go  north  to  the  Jocko 
reservation  near  Missoula.  In  the  summer  of  1872  a  convention  was 
drawn  up,  by  which  the  Indians  were  to  give  up  their  lands  to  the  United 
States.  "Witnesses  present  on  the  occasion,  among  them  General  Garfield 
himself,  state  that  Chariot,  chief  of  the  Flatheads,  opposed  the  convention, 
and  refused  to  sign  it.  The  original  copy  preserved  at  the  Department  of 
the  Interior  at  Washington  proves  the  truth  of  this  statement.  The  act 
submitted  to  and  approved  by  Congress  nevertheless  bears  the  name  of 
Chariot  as  first  signatory.  Who  was  guilty  of  this  flagrant  violation  of 
the  rights  of  the  tribes?"  (Palladino,  "Indian  and  White  in  the  North- 
west," p.  66.)  8  St.  Louis,  Oct.  27,  1872. 


376     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

Having  been  relieved  of  all  his  active  duties,  Father  De 
Smet  continued  to  serve  the  missions  through  his  pen.  He 
wrote  articles  of  interest  for  the  Catholic  magazines  in 
America  and  England,  and  in  Belgium  published  a  new 
edition  of  his  "Letters,"9  with  some  notices  of  the  principal 
Missouri  missionaries.  "I  wish,  as  far  as  in  my  power,  to 
save  them  from  oblivion,  and  at  the  same  time  give  pleasure 
to  their  families."10 

For  his  fellow-priests  he  began  a  history  of  the  origin 
of  the  Province,  but  death  arrested  the  work  hardly  begun. 
It  is  with  deep  emotion  that  we  read  these  pages  yellow 
with  age,  upon  which  the  old  missionary  wrote  the  account 
of  his  first  journey  and  his  recollections  of  his  novitiate. 

During  his  sojourn  at  the  University,  the  St.  Louis 
Jesuits  learned  to  appreciate  the  charm  of  Father  De  Smet's 
society,  and  the  quality  of  his  virtues.  Their  testimony 
enables  us  to  throw  in  relief  the  distinguishing  traits  of 
this  exceptional  and  noble  figure.  In  community  life  he 
was  noted  for  his  amiability.  Years  had  rendered  even 
more  indulgent  his  natural  kindliness,  and  far  from  demand- 
ing consideration  for  himself,  he  sought  the  last  place  and 
permitted  the  younger  members  to  joke  and  make  merry 
with  him.11 

He  was  much  sought  after  by  outsiders.  The  prestige 
of  his  name  and  labors,  his  dignified  and  simple  manners, 
his  amiability,  and  the  charm  of  his  conversation,  opened 
every  circle  to  him.  He  was  listened  to  for  hours,  less  from 
deference  to  his  person  than  for  the  charm  of  his  recitals.12 

"I  can  truthfully  state,"  writes  one  of  the  St.  Louis 
Fathers,  "that  there  does  not  exist  a  priest,  nay,  not  even  a 
bishop,  in  the  United  States  so  well  known  and  esteemed 

9  This  edition  in  six  volumes  was  published  in  Brussels  (1873-1878) 
through  the  efforts  of  Father  Deynoodt. 

10  Letter  to  Father  Deynoodt,  St.  Louis,  1872. 

11  A  few  months  before  his  death  he  wrote  to  one  of  the  Belgian  Fathers: 
"I  am  very  grateful  to  you  for  the  interest  you  take  in  the  new  edition  of 
my  'Letters,'  and  I  thank  you  for  the  good  opinion  you  express  about  me. 
Your  Reverence  honors  me  in  thinking  that  I  am  so  popular,  but  this  is  far 
from  being  the  case.  In  any  case,  should  I  become  so,  it  will  not  be  because 
I  merit  popularity."  (To  Father  Deynoodt.  Quoted  at  the  beginning  of 
his  Selected  Letters,  4th  Series,  pp.  viii  and  ix.) 

12  The  Woodstock  Letters,  1874,  p.  62. 


HIS  RETREAT  IN  ST.  LOUIS  377 

as  Father  De  Smet.  He  is  the  glory  of  the  University,  the 
idol  of  Americans.  I  know  a  man  who  traveled  a  great 
distance  for  the  sole  pleasure  of  seeing  him;  another  told 
me  he  would  give  almost  anything  to  hear  him  preach."  13 

He  seldom  preached,  however,  but  he  waxed  eloquent  in 
conversation  when  speaking  about  the  unjust  treatment 
of  the  Indians.  On  one  occasion  he  was  asked:  "How 
could  you  take  pleasure  in  being  with  those  terrible  sav- 
ages?" "Terrible  savages!"  he  replied.  "You  do  not 
know  what  you  are  saying.  You  do  not  know  these  simple, 
good  people.  I  have  met  many  more  savages  in  the  great 
cities  of  America  and  Europe  than  in  the  plains  and 
deserts  of  the  West.  Why  is  it  astonishing  that  the 
Indians  attach  so  little  value  to  the  blessings  and  advan- 
tages of  civilization?  They  judge  them  by  the  vices  which 
the  whites  practice  under  their  eyes.  And  what  have 
they  seen  to  appreciate  in  the  conduct  of  the  American 
agents,  who  have  often  robbed  them?"14 

This  frankness  never  offended  any  one;  Protestants  and 
Catholics  alike,  officers  and  statesmen,  professed  great 
esteem  for  the  missionary.  One  of  his  greatest  friends  was 
Dr.  Linton,  a  Presbyterian  convert,  for  thirty  years  a  pro- 
fessor at  the  St.  Louis  University.  A  remarkably  gifted 
man,  he  was  not  only  a  physician,  but  a  poet  and  an 
orator;  he  was  deeply  attached  to  the  Society  of  Jesus,15 
and  to  him  we  owe  one  of  the  most  precious  souvenirs  of 
Father  De  Smet,  namely,  the  "Linton  Album,"  a  richly- 
bound  volume  replete  with  photographs  and  drawings,  in 
which  the  missionary  year  by  year  inscribed  his  itinerary.16 
On  his  return  from  every  journey  he  found  his  friend's 

13  Letter  from  Father  Busschots  to  Father  Deynoodt,  St.  Louis,  Good 
Friday,  1875. 

14  Cf.  Bishop  Ryan's  sermon  at  Father  De  Smet's  funeral,  in  the  Western 
Watchman,  St.  Louis,  May  31,  1873. 

15  "  Ad  majorem  Dei  gloriam!  Who  devised  this  motto?  I  should  like 
to  know.  Nothing  is  more  sublime;  nothing  more  profound  is  to  be  found 
in  human  language  than  these  four  words.  They  embrace  heaven  and 
earth,  and  apply  equally  to  the  most  august  hierarchies  that  surround 
the  throne  of  God  and  the  humblest  dwellers  on  earth.  They  contain 
what  is  greatest  in  poetry  and  eloquence;  they  signify  what  is  holiest, 
most  worthy,  and  best  in  time  and  eternity."  (Extract  from  a  farewell 
letter  written  by  Dr.  Linton  to  the  St.  Louis  Jesuits  a  fortnight  before  his 
death.    Cf.  W.  Hill,  "Historical  Sketch  of  the  St.  Louis  University,"  p.  112.) 

16  The  Linton  Album  is  now  the  property  of  the  St.  Louis  University. 
25 


378     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

book  lying  open  on  his  table;  he  would  then  take  his  pen 
and  in  his  clear,  firm  handwriting  add  a  page  to  the  account 
of  his  expeditions.  No  doubt  it  was  an  immense  satisfac- 
tion to  sum  up  the  number  of  miles  he  had  traveled. 
From  182 1  to  1872  it  amounted  to  260,929  miles,  nearly 
nine  times  the  distance  around  the  earth.17  Many  ex- 
plorers and  travelers  have  won  fame  for  much  less. 

Through  his  high  connections,  Father  De  Smet  could 
have  furthered  his  personal  ambitions,  but  never  did  he 
profit  by  them  save  in  behalf  of  the  Indians.  Nor  did  he 
sacrifice  for  popularity  the  interest  of  souls  or  his  priestly 
duties.  Such  was  his  reputation  for  integrity  that  even 
the  worst  enemies  of  the  Church  and  the  Society  of  Jesus 
were  constrained  to  exclaim :  "If  only  he  was  one  of  us !"  18 

The  motive  power  of  his  life  was  the  spirit  of  faith ;  this 
gave  him  the  courage  to  face  the  hardships  of  his  prodigious 
labors.  He  tells  us  this  himself  in  a  letter  written  in  1849, 
after  his  first  journey  to  the  Sioux:  "To  those  who  have 
passed  their  days  amid  the  joys  of  family  life,  and  been 
blessed  with  prosperity,  a  journey  across  the  desert  appears 
a  forbidding  experience  of  human  suffering  and  misery. 
But  he  who  lifts  his  thoughts  above  the  passing  things  of  the 
world  to  consider  truth,  which  all  nature  speaks,  and  de- 
sires the  salvation  of  the  many  souls  who  would  love  and 
serve  their  Creator  if  they  but  knew  Him — he  sees  in  the 
privations  of  the  desert  and  in  the  dangers  and  perils  one 
encounters  there,  but  slight  inconveniences,  far  preferable 
to  the  sweets  of  indolence  and  the  dangers  of  riches.  Such 
a  man  meditates  on  the  words  of  the  Saviour:  'The 
kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth  violence,  and  the  violent 
carry  it  away.'  He  recalls  the  sufferings  and  trials  of 
God,  made  man,  'who  being  without  sin,  yet  bore  all  suffer- 
ings.'    Through  tribulation  and  dangers,  through  cold  and 

17  It  is  possible  that  this  number  is  somewhat  exaggerated,  as  Father 
De  Smet,  in  his  first  journeys,  was  often  forced  to  roughly  estimate  distances. 

18  Long  ago  Father  De  Smet  had  learned  how  little  men's  favor  counts. 
"All  is  vanity  on  this  earth  and  nothing  wholly  satisfies  the  human  heart. 
Many  times  have  I  realized  this  truth  in  my  travels,  when  I  have  conversed 
with  men  of  all  religions,  of  every  shade  of  opinion,  and  of  all  classes  of 
society.  The  happiest  are  the  believers,  I  mean,  the  children  of  the  Church, 
and  among  them  also  are  found  those  who  make  others  happy."  (Selected 
Letters,  3d  Series,  p.  262.) 


HIS  RELIGIOUS  VIRTUES  379 

heat,  through  blood  and  death,  did  Christ  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  His  Father;  along  this  path  must  he  travel 
who  wishes  to  live  and  die  under  His  noble  standard."  19 

The  spirit  of  faith  also  explains  Father  De  Smet's  calm 
assurance  in  adversity,  which  was  so  much  admired  by 
those  around  him.  "I  lived  with  him  for  some  time," 
writes  Father  Gazzoli,  "and  more  than  once  accompanied 
him  on  laborious  journeys  over  bad  roads,  through  bad 
weather  and  countless  other  difficulties,  and  what  always 
struck  me  was  his  unalterable  cheerfulness  and  equanimity 
of  temper."20 

Refusing  nothing  to  the  Master  he  served,  he  counted 
always  on  His  providence,  and  abandoned  himself  to  it 
with  a  simplicity  that  recalls  the  naive  confidence  of  the 
saints.  He  was  sincerely  attached  to  his  vocation  and 
declared  he  had  found  in  it  the  hundredfold  promise :  "In 
the  course  of  my  long  peregrinations  through  the  world, 
it  is  in  community  life  that  I  have  found  the  greatest 
happiness  to  which  man  can  aspire  here  below."21  He 
knew,  moreover,  that  to  fully  enjoy  the  advantages  and 
rewards  of  this  state,  one  must  accept  its  obligations. 

"Poverty  for  him  was  not  an  empty  word;  he  loved  to 
see  it  put  into  practice.  Those  who  lived  with  him  knew 
how  he  disliked  to  see  a  priest  too  elegant  and  fastidious 
in  his  dress,  which  he  contended  impaired  his  prestige  with 
the  faithful,  and  shocked  them  not  less  than  excessive 
negligence.  He  was  most  careful  and  exact  in  his  own 
expenditures,  and  although  he  administered  the  finances 
of  the  Province  for  many  years,  he  never  spent  the  smallest 
sum  upon  himself  without  asking  permission." 

19  To  Gustave  Van  Kerckhove,  St.  Louis,  May  i,  1849. 

20  To  Father  Deynoodt,  Coeur  d'Alenes  Mission,  Aug.  2,  1879.  In 
another  letter  Father  Gazzoli  relates  the  following  fact,  told  him  by  an  old 
Iroquois,  one  of  Father  De  Smet's  former  guides:  "During  one  of  his  jour- 
neys, the  missionary,  overcome  with  fatigue,  gave  the  order  to  camp.  His 
traveling  companions  protested,  saying  there  was  no  water  in  that  locality, 
but,  as  he  insisted,  they  gave  way.  The  Father,  who  had  never  traveled 
through  this  country  before,  assured  them  they  would  find  water  and 
indicated  the  spot.  They  went  and  found  enough  water  for  the  caravan. 
Every  member  of  the  party  attributed  the  find  to  the  prayers  of  the  mis- 
sionary."    (To  Father  Deynoodt,  Jan.  6,  1881.) 

21  To  the  Superior  of  the  Servants  of  Mary,  at  Erps-Querbs,  Brussels, 
Dec.  3,  1856. 

22  The  Woodstock  Letters,  1874.     "Father  De  Smet.     His  Services  to  the 


38o    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.  J. 

Yet  still  more  remarkable  was  his  obedience.  Father 
Coosemans,  for  nine  years  his  Superior,  speaks  of  it  in  the 
following  words:  "Father  De  Smet  valued  and  practiced 
obedience  to  a  degree  that  astonished  outsiders,  who  mar- 
veled to  see  an  old,  white-haired  man  as  obedient  as  a 
little  child.  He  never  undertook  the  shortest  journey  with- 
out the  sanction  of  his  Superior.  If  the  affair  in  question 
was  important,  approbation  was  not  sufficient;  he  wished 
an  express  order.  Then  and  then  only  did  he  confidently 
set  off,  sure  of  heaven's  protection,  to  brave  gladly  the 
dangers  and  hardships  inseparable  from  his  journeys.  In 
community  life  he  observed  faithfully  and  strictly  the  rules 
of  the  house;  although  strangers  often  came  to  visit  him 
during  the  evening  recreation,  he  somehow  managed  always 
to  be  present  at  the  Litanies.23  It  sometimes  happened  he 
was  unable  to  get  rid  of  his  visitor,  when  he  would  beg  to  be 
excused  to  attend  evening  prayers."  24  Such  virtue  as  his 
found  its  nourishment  in  a  sincere  and  tender  piety.  From 
1827  on  Father  De  Smet  offered  daily  and  with  lively  faith 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  Even  during  his  long  jour- 
neys he  omitted  it  only  on  rare  occasions  through  force  of 
circumstances. 

We  have  often  spoken  of  his  devotion  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin.  During  his  dangerous  voyages  he  invoked  the 
protection  of  her  who,  though  gloriously  enthroned  in 
heaven,  still  keeps  the  heart  of  a  mother,  the  all-powerful 
Mother  of  Him  who  rules  the  waves.25  The  rosary  he  wore 
in  his  girdle  and  which  he  recited  daily,  was  the  means 
of  many  conversions.26 

After  the  example  of  Father  Marquette,  who  centuries 
before  had  consecrated  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  to  the 

Society,  and  his  Religious  Life,"  p.  63.     Article  by  Rev.  R.  Meyer,  later 
Provincial  of  Missouri,  and  assistant  of  England. 

23  In  Jesuit  houses  it  is  the  custom  to  recite  the  Litany  of  the  Saints  in  the 
evening. 

24  Letter  to  Father  Deynoodt,  Chicago,  April  26,  1876. 

25  Itinerary,  1856. 

26  This  rosary,  worn  thin  by  the  missionary's  fingers,  is  to-day  the  property 
of  one  of  his  nieces,  Madam  Li£nart  of  Tournai.  She  tells  us,  "One  of  my 
cousins,  ill  with  typhoid  fever,  was  in  extremis.  Father  De  Smet's  rosary 
was  put  under  her  pillow,  and  immediately  her  condition  improved  and  she 
finally  recovered.  I  was  at  that  time  very  delicate  and  my  mother  hung 
the  precious  rosary  near  my  bed,  where  it  has  remained  for  thirty  years." 
(Tournai,  Nov.  3,  1910.) 


HIS  RELIGIOUS  VIRTUES  381 

Immaculate  Virgin,  he  gave  the  name  of  St.  Mary  to  the 
first  mountain  mission.  He  loved  to  associate  the  happiest 
memories  of  his  life  with  the  feasts  of  the  Virgin.  "After 
Him  who  is  the  Author  of  all  good,"  he  said,  "let  us  render 
thanks  to  Her  whom  the  Church  permits  us  to  call  our  life, 
our  sweetness,  and  our  hope,  since  it  has  pleased  divine 
goodness  that  great  favors  should  be  accorded  us  on  the 
feasts  in  which  she  is  especially  honored."27 

All  Father  De  Smet's  friends  knew  of  the  confidence  he 
reposed  in  St.  Anthony.  On  more  than  one  occasion  the 
great  wonder-worker  had  found  things  for  him,  seemingly 
lost  beyond  reclaim.  He  himself  loved  to  tell  of  instances : 
"You  have  perhaps  heard  that  I  had  on  board  the  Hum- 
boldt 2S  a  case  filled  with  silver  chalices  and  monstrances. 
For  five  months  I  believed  they  were  at  the  bottom  of  the 
sea;  I  made  a  novena  to  St.  Anthony — rather  late,  you 
will  say.  But  not  so,  for  a  month  afterward  the  case  was 
returned  to  me  in  as  good  condition  as  when  it  left  the 
shop."  29 

Another  distinguishing  trait  of  piety  was  his  touching 
devotion  to  the  souls  in  purgatory.  "Every  time,"  writes 
Father  Coosemans,  "that  he  returned  from  a  long  journey, 
either  from  Europe  or  across  the  plains  from  the  Far  West, 
we  knew  he  would  ask  Masses  for  his  dear  souls.  In  fact, 
whenever  a  serious  difficulty  arose,  or  he  found  himself 
facing  danger,  he  asked  the  help  of  the  souls  in  purgatory. 
In  return  he  promised  them  many  Masses,  more  even  than 
he  could  himself  say,  but  he  counted  on  the  charity  of  his 
fellow-priests,  who  willingly  helped  him  discharge  his 
debt."  30 

The  hour  of  reward  for  the  heroic  missionary  was  ap- 
proaching. Scarcely  had  he  returned  to  St.  Louis  when 
the  kidney  trouble  from  which  he  had  suffered  at  Brussels 
reappeared  in  an  exaggerated  form.  "As  regards  my 
health,"  he  writes  on  June  21st,  "the  machine  is  com- 
pletely out  of  order.     For  two  months  I  have  been  confined 

27  Letter  to  the  Carmelites  of  Termonde,  Bitter  Root,  Oct.  26,  1841. 
("Journeys  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,"  2d  Edition,  p.  214.) 

28  In  regard  to  the  shipwreck  of  the  Humboldt,  see  p.  297. 

29  Letter  to  Mr.  J.  Key,  a  ship-owner  at  Antwerp,  St.  Louis,  Sept.  12,  1854. 

30  Letter  quoted. 


382    THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.  J. 

to  my  room  by  order  of  the  doctor,  and  I  have  to  follow  a 
very  strict  and,  for  me,  quite  new  regime.  My  mantel- 
piece looks  like  a  drug-shop  and  the  very  sight  of  it  takes 
away  my  appetite.  I  am  extremely  feeble.  Nevertheless, 
I  am  not  without  hope,  for  I  am  convalescing.  May 
God's  will  be  done."31 

In  this  weakened  state  of  health  he  depended  more  and 
more  upon  the  affection  of  his  family,  and  he  thanked  them 
effusively  for  a  pilgrimage  they  made  to  Lourdes  for  his 
recovery.  "Your  kind  and  dear  letter,"  he  writes,  "was 
a  most  agreeable  surprise.  It  is  always  a  day  of  rejoicing 
when  I  hear  from  my  family,  and  I  will  always  be  grateful 
to  those  who  write  to  me  and  remember  me.  I  pray  es- 
pecially for  them  each  time  I  have  the  happiness  of  ascend- 
ing to  the  altar.  Encourage  them  all  to  write  often,  if 
only  a  few  lines."  32 

One  of  his  nieces  sent  him  a  chasuble,  "whose  beautiful 
handwork  was  much  admired  by  the  whole  community." 
To  her  husband  he  wrote,  "Dear  Gustave,  please  give 
Marie  my  best  thanks.  This  chasuble  is  a  souvenir  which, 
with  my  Superior's  permission,  I  will  keep  to  the  end  of 
my  days.  I  promise  you  to  wear  it  on  all  the  feasts  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  when  I  will  offer  the  Holy  Sacrifice  for  the 
pious  donor's  intention,  for  the  welfare  and  happiness  of 
her  husband  and  dear  children,  for  her  esteemed  parents, 
and  for  all  those  whose  intentions  she  wishes  to  join  to 
hers."  33  In  return  he  sent  "Indian  curiosities"  and  holy 
pictures  for  the  children,  and  "a  big  kiss  for  dear  little 
Paul  and  Etienne."34 

The  year  1872  in  the  United  States  was  marked  by  the 
presidential  campaign  which  preceded  Grant's  reelection. 
Father  De  Smet,  however,  took  little  interest  in  politics,35 

31  To  Father  Deynoodt. 

32  To  his  nephew  Emile  de  Meren,  Sept.  6,  1872. 

33  To  Gustave  Van  Kerckhove,  Sept.  1 1,  1872. 

34  Paid  and  Etienne  De  Smet,  grandsons  of  Francis,  the  brother  of  the 
missionary. 

35  "  To  a  disinterested  spectator,  the  campaign  is  amusing.  The  whole  city 
is  decorated,  either  for  Greeley  or  Grant.  Every  night  bands  of  music 
march  through  the  streets  with  banners,  followed  by  thousands  shouting  to 
wake  the  dead  and  burning  an  enormous  amount  of  fireworks.  It  is  un- 
bearable, yet  one  gets  accustomed  to  it.  The  world  must  go  on  in  its  own 
way,  and  after  all  there  is  no  harm  in  working  for  either  Greeley  or  Grant; 


HIS  RELIGIOUS  VIRTUES  383 

the  progress  of  Catholicism  being  his  sole  occupation. 
"When  we  first  came  to  St.  Louis  the  town  boasted 
of  4,000  inhabitants  and  possessed  but  one  church. 
To-day  its  population  numbers  450,000  and  next  Sun- 
day the  Bishop  will  bless  the  thirty-sixth  church.  Our 
first  establishment  in  Missouri  was  composed  of  two 
Fathers,  seven  novices,  and  three  lay  Brothers.  We 
now  number  two  hundred  and  seventy-five;  we  possess 
three  large  colleges  and  a  dozen  houses  with  prosperous 
missions."  36 

It  had  always  been  a  trial  for  the  ardent  apostle  not  to  be 
able  to  share  the  labors  of  his  fellow-priests.  However,  in 
1870,  when  an  eight-day  retreat  brought  together  an  im- 
mense congregation  in  the  college  church  in  St.  Louis,  Father 
De  Smet  gave  the  Benediction  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
every  evening.  On  the  last  day  of  the  retreat  he  celebrated 
Mass  and  helped  two  other  priests  distribute  two  thousand 
communions.     He  wept  for  joy. 

Some  months  before  his  death  he  devoted  himself  to  an 
aged  infidel,  and  with  untiring  patience  and  goodness 
taught  him  the  elements  of  religion.  Upon  the  feast  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception  he  had  the  joy  of  conferring 
baptism  upon  him. 

This  was  his  last  apostolic  act.  Two  days  later  he  writes : 
"I  feel  very  weak;  my  left  eye  is  totally  paralyzed,  and  the 
sight  is  gone.  The  winter  has  been  a  severe  one;  never 
have  we  had  such  weather  since  I  first  came  to  St.  Louis; 
fogs,  snows,  and  unprecedented  cold.  Old  and  full  of 
infirmities,  I  await  with  resignation  my  last  hour.  Expecto 
donee   veniat   immutatio  mea."  37     He  was  so  low  at  one 

one  is  as  good  as  the  other.  You  say  that  in  Europe  you  wonder  which 
will  be  victorious.  The  individual  majority  favor  Greeley,  but  Grant's 
party  has  the  money,  which  is  used  unstintingly  to  assure  his  reelection. 
You  can  count  upon  his  victory  as  assured;  and  once  in  it  will  be  difficult 
to  get  him  out  of  the  White  House.  Grant  is  a  Methodist,  a  man  of  no 
particular  merit,  the  tool  and  humble  servant  of  the  radical  party— just  as 
William  of  Prussia  is  the  tool  of  Bismarck."  (To  Emile  de  Meren,  St. 
Louis,  Sept.  6,  1872.) 

In  regard  to  Grant's  sectarian  policy,  see  Claudio  Jannet,  "  Les  Etats-Unis 
Contemporains,"  Paris,  1877,  Vol.  II,  p.  66. 

36  To  Leon  Van  Mossevelde. 

The  Province  of  Missouri  to-day  numbers  nearly  900  religious.  It 
possesses  a  dozen  colleges,  eight  residences,  and  a  mission  in  British  Honduras. 

37  To  Father  Deynoodt,  Dec.  10,  187,2. 


384     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

time  that  the  Last  Sacraments  were  administered,  but  the 
crisis  passed  and  he  once  more  took  hope. 

For  two  years  the  Sioux  had  been  expecting  him  to  come 
and  found  a  mission,  and  in  October  a  deputation  of  chiefs 
arrived  to  remind  him  of  his  promise.  On  February  18th 
he  wrote  to  the  Catholic  agent  at  Grand  River,  "I  hope 
the  approaching  spring  may  be  of  some  service  in  regaining 
my  lost  strength  and  general  health.  In  regard  to  my 
prospects  of  seeing  the  Indians  in  the  spring  later,  it  is 
difficult  to  determine  beforehand  and  under  my  present 
dispositions.  Should  there  be  any  prospect  on  my  part, 
I  shall  certainly  inform  you  in  due  time."  A  month  later 
he  wrote  him  again:  "Captain  La  Barge's  boat  (De  Smei) 
is  advertised  for  Benton,  and  will  leave  St.  Louis  on  the 
1 2th  of  April.  My  room  is  kept  ready  and  at  my  disposal. 
Should  my  health  permit  I  shall  gladly  undertake  the 
trip.  I  had  of  late  a  very  severe  attack  of  sickness.  I  am 
again  convalescent  and  in  good  hope."38 

Those  who  saw  the  old  man  daily  did  not  share  his 
illusions.  He  could  scarcely  get  out  of  a  carriage,  and 
himself  acknowledged  "that  since  his  return  from  Belgium 
he  had  aged  ten  years."  39  He  soon  realized  he  must 
abandon  all  hope  of .  leaving  St.  Louis.  His  heart  was 
crushed  with  disappointment,  and  in  the  following  words  he 
assures  the  Sioux  of  his  prayers  and  that  he  will  always 
keep  them  in  mind.  To  their  agent  he  wrote:  "I  sym- 
pathize sincerely  with  my  good  Indian  friends,  who  have 
been  very  severely  visited  by  sickness  this  last  winter  and 
lost  many  of  their  dear  children.  I  pray  for  them  daily 
that  the  Lord  may  have  pity  on  them  and  take  them  under 
His  holy  protection."  It  was  the  old  missionary's  last 
farewell  to  those  he  had  loved  so  dearly. 

The  spring  that  year  was  backward.  In  the  middle  of 
May  a  succession  of  hurricanes  and  thunder-storms  bat- 
tered the  windows  of  the  University;  torrents  of  rain  and 
hail  fell  from  a  lowering  sky.  The  cold  was  so  intense 
that  in  many  places  travelers  perished  from  it.  Such 
weather  was  very  trying  for  the  invalid.  "For  seven 
months,"  he  writes  his  family,  "I  have  been  sitting  in  the 

38  To  Major  O'Connor,  March  24,  1873. 

39  To  Charles  and  Rosalie  Van  Mossevelde,  Feb.  14,  1873. 


THE  STATUE  ERECTED  IN  HONOR  OP  FATHER 
DE  SMET  AT  TERMONDE,  HIS  BIRTHPLACE 


HIS  RELIGIOUS  VIRTUES  385 

chimney-corner,  and  I  find  my  fire  an  agreeable  companion. 
Since  all  things  change  in  this  world,  I  still  hope  for  fine 
weather,  and  I  shall  enjoy  it  when  it  comes.  The  next 
time  I  write  I  hope  to  give  you  more  reassuring  news."  40 

But  this  letter,  alas!  was  the  last  news  he  gave  his 
family.  It  seemed  as  though  he  had  a  presentiment  that 
this  was  his  farewell,  for  he  had  never  been  more  af- 
fectionate. "The  devoted  and  fraternal  sentiments  you 
constantly  express  in  your  letters  have  touched  me  deeply. 
I  am  most  grateful.  Let  me  now  speak  openly.  In  my 
present  condition  the  great  project  which  was  often  the 
subject  of  our  conversation  continues  to  allure  me ; 41  but  I 
fear  it  is  but  a  chateau  en  Espagne,  for  the  reason  that  I  am 
not  equal  to  the  journey.  In  the  meanwhile  ask  God  that 
His  holy  will,  and  that  alone,  may  be  accomplished." 
Then  alluding  to  a  stanza  that  his  sister  Rosalie,  then 
seventy-six  years  of  age,  had  sent  him,  he  essayed  a  reply  in 
rhyme.  This  innocent  badinage  shows  at  least  with  what 
serenity  he  saw  the  close  of  his  life  approaching. 

A  last  act  of  kindness  and  consideration  for  others  pre- 
cipitated his  end.  His  intimate  friend,  Captain  La  Barge, 
was  about  to  launch  a  new  steamboat  on  the  Missouri, 
and  asked  Father  De  Smet  to  bless  it.  Not  wishing  to 
refuse  the  request  of  one  who  had  so  often  obliged  him  in 
his  visits  to  the  Indians,  he  accepted,  and  the  ceremony 
took  place  on  May  13th.  That  evening  he  felt  much 
worse.  The  next  day,  after  saying  Mass,  he  said  to  the 
server:  "This  is  the  end.  I  shall  never  again  ascend  the 
altar." 

The  last  attack  was  of  unusual  severity.  Finally  a  pain- 
ful operation  was  performed.  It  gave  relief,  but  his  weak- 
ness increased  daily.  On  the  20th  he  asked  for  the  Last 
Sacraments  and  received  them  once  more  with  touching 
piety  and  perfect  resignation.  From  that  time,  we  are 
told,42  he  seemed  oblivious  of  earth  and  thought  only  of 
eternity. 

"During  his  life  he  was  not  exempt  from  the  fear  of 

40  To  Charles  and  Rosalie  Van  Mossevelde,  May  4,  1873. 

41  The  project  referred  to  was  the  institution  M.  Van  Mossevelde  thought 
of  founding  at  his  country-place,  Saint-Gilles.     See  p.  373. 

42  Fathers  O'Neil  and  De  Blieck. 


386     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

death;  but  at  the  end  his  fears  vanished."43  If  he  ceased 
praying  it  was  but  to  speak  of  God's  goodness  and  infinite 
mercy.  He  found  consolation  in  the  thought  of  the  hun- 
dreds of  little  children  he  had  baptized,  who  were  now 
praying  for  him  in  heaven. 

"When  I  saw  Father  De  Smet  last,  on  Wednesday,  the 
21st  of  May,  two  days  before  his  death,"  said  Bishop  Ryan, 
Coadjutor  of  St.  Louis,  'T  found  him  full  of  courage  and 
hope.  He  said  to  me:  'I  have  served  the  good  God  for 
many  years;  I  am  going  to  come  before  Him  pretty  soon, 
and  my  heart  is  very  full  of  confidence  and  real  consolation. 
I  have  the  greatest  hope,'  he  said  further,  'in  the  efficacy  of 
the  prayers  of  all  to  whom  the  Lord  sent  me  in  times  past ; 
I  count  especially  on  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  poor  sin- 
ner that  I  am,  and  I  love  to  think  that  the  Lord  will 
have  pity  on  me  in  my  hour  of  agony.'"44 

During  the  nights  of  the  2 2d  and  23d  it  was  evident 
that  the  end  was  at  hand,  and  final  absolution  was  given 
with  plenary  indulgence  in  articulo  mortis.  Up  to  the  last 
moment  he  retained  full  use  of  his  faculties,  and  he  was 
calm  and  seemed  not  to  suffer.  At  a  quarter  past  two 
on  the  morning  of  the  feast  of  the  Ascension  he  rendered 
up  his  soul  to  Him  whom  he  had  ardently  loved  and  for 
whose  glory  he  had  labored  for  fifty  years. 

The  news  of  his  death  caused  universal  sorrow.  News- 
papers of  every  shade  of  opinion  outrivaled  each  other  in 
praise  of  the  missionary.  The  Missouri  Republican  said: 
"In  him  the  world  loses  one  of  the  most  intrepid  pioneers 
of  Christian  civilization.  If  he  did  not  accomplish  all 
that  he  believed  possible,  he  at  least  gave  an  example  of 
what  a  profound  conviction  can  do  in  the  struggle  against 
insurmountable  obstacles."45 

The  funeral  took  place  on  May  24th  in  St.  Francis 
Xavier's  church.  In  the  center  of  the  nave  stood  the 
catafalque,  draped  in  black  and  covered  with  flowers. 
The  upper  part  of  the  body  could  be  seen  through  the 
coffin  lid ;  over  his  head  had  been  placed  a  wreath  of  white 

43  Father  Coosemans'  letter  to  M.  Van  Mossevelde,  Chicago,  June  1,  1873. 

44  Funeral  Oration  over  Father  De  Smet. 

45  Issue  of  May  24,  1873. 


HIS  DEATH  387 

roses.  From  early  morning,  crowds  pressed  around  the 
precious  remains,  eager  to  look  for  the  last  time  on  the 
apostle  of  the  Indians,  who  even  in  death  wore  his  kindly- 
smile. 

What  a  striking  contrast  to  the  life  of  this  humble  man 
was  his  funeral,  worthy  of  a  prince  of  the  Church!  The 
aged  Archbishop  of  St.  Louis,  Mgr.  Kenrick,  assisted  by  his 
coadjutor,  presided.  With  the  clergy  from  the  different 
parishes  mingled  secular  and  regular  priests,  come  from 
Chicago  and  Cincinnati  to  attend.  The  army  was  repre- 
sented by  three  generals,  General  Harney  being  one,  and 
by  a  large  number  of  other  officers.  After  the  solemn 
High  Mass  celebrated  by  Father  Van  Assche,  Bishop  Ryan 
gave  the  absolution,  and  mounting  the  pulpit  preached 
the  funeral  oration  over  the  departed  missionary. 

Comparing  Father  De  Smet  to  the  great  priest  Onias,  he 
applied  to  him  the  words  of  the  sacred  book  of  Machabees : 
"That  truly  good  and  gentle  man,  so  modest  in  his  counte- 
nance, so  regular  and  moderate  in  his  ways,  so  agreeable 
in  his  speech  and  who  had  practiced  all  kinds  of  virtues 
from  his  youth  up.46  Such  were  the  eminent  qualities  of 
that  Onias,  high  priest  of  Judea,  whom  the  Jews  so  bitterly 
bewailed  and  whose  loss  was  regretted  by  even  Antiochus 
himself,  mindful  of  the  amenity  of  character  of  the  great 
priest  and  of  the  upright  life  he  had  led.  These  words, 
my  brethren,  are  admirably  suited  to  the  apostolic  man 
whose  mortal  remains  are  here  exposed  to  your  view  before 
the  holy  altar. 

"Despite  the  luster  which  his  apostolic  labors  shed  over 
his  person,  and  all  the  meritorious  work  which  marked  his 
life,  this  man  of  God  displayed  in  all  his  conduct  the 
simplicity  of  a  child;  he  was  kindly,  candid,  modest,  and 
even  showed  the  timidity  of  tender  years,  and  the  language 
of  Tertullian  may  be  applied  to  him,  which  he  was  wont 
to  use  in  speaking  of  the  old  servants  of  Christ  in  his  time : 
'They  are  old  men,  but  at  the  same  time  they  have  the 
graces  and  simplicity  of  youth.  The  purity  of  their  lives 
and  the  cleanliness  and  uprightness  of  their  souls  enable 

i(,"Virum  bonum  et  bentgnum,  verecundum  visu,  modestum  moribus,  et 
eloquio  decorum,  et  qui  a  puero  in  virtutibus  exercitatus  sit."  (2  Mach. 
xv.  12.) 


388     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

them  to  preserve  to  the  close  of  their  lives  the  springtime 
freshness  of  their  earlier  years.'  Such  was  our  regretted 
and  venerable  friend;  he  was  at  the  evening  of  his  life 
what  he  had  been  at  the  dawn  of  his  career  and  at  the  noon- 
day of  manhood.  It  was  his  rare  qualities  of  rectitude  and 
simplicity  that  won  him  the  confidence  of  so  many  friends, 
and  it  was  the  support  of  this  confidence,  with  God's  help, 
that  enabled  him  to  effect  such  great  things."  47 

After  recalling  thus  Father  De  Smet's  characteristic 
virtues,  Bishop  Ryan  spoke  at  length  of  his  love  for  the 
Indians  and  his  devotion  to  their  cause.  Although  hastily 
prepared,  his  discourse  vibrated  with  emotion  and  pro- 
foundly impressed  his  audience.  Sobs  resounded  through 
the  church  and  sorrow  bowed  every  head. 

The  remains  were  taken  to  Florissant  for  burial  in  a 
modest  enclosure  where  Fathers  Van  Quickenborne,  De 
Theux,  Elet,  Van  de  Velde,  Smedts,  and  Verhaegen  were 
sleeping  their  last  sleep.  After  so  many  years  of  arduous 
travel,  the  heroic  old  missionary  had  come  to  seek  his 
long  rest  near  his  novitiate,  beside  those  who  had  been 
his  Superiors,  his  friends,  and  his  fellow-workers. 

A  few  days  later,  the  new  steamboat  that  Father  De 
Smet  had  blessed  shortly  before  his  death  sailed  up  the 
Missouri.  When  the  De  Smet  arrived  in  the  Indian 
country,  the  redskins,  having  learned  of  the  Black  Robe's 
death,  flocked  to  the  landings,  emitting  wails  of  grief,  and 
covering  their  heads  with  dust .  "  Not  only  the  Chri stians, ' ' 
writes  Father  Guidi,  "but  pagans  as  well  wept  over  the 
loss  of  their  beloved  Father,  and  many  Indians  regard  his 
loss  as  a  calamity  to  their  tribe,  which  alas!  is  but  too 
true!"48 

But  great  as  was  his  loss,  Father  De  Smet's  work  was 
still  to  survive.  Without  counting  the  Franciscans, 
Oblates,  and  secular  missionaries,  thirty  Jesuits  were  in 
charge  of  seven  flourishing  foundations  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains.49 

47  Chittenden-Richardson. 

48  To  Father  Adolph  Petit,  rector  of  Tronchiennes,  Colville,  Oct.,  1873. 

49  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  foundations: 

St.  Mary's  Mission  among  the  Flatheads.  This  mission,  founded  in  1841, 
was  attached  to  St.  Ignatius'  Mission  in  1891. 


HIS  DEATH  389 

Twenty  years  later  in  Montana  alone  the  Catholics 
resident  in  the  nine  missions  numbered  seven  thousand. 
If  lately,  progress  has  been  less  marked,  it  is  because  the 
race,  being  more  and  more  confined  to  restricted  reserva- 
tions, has  declined.  The  Cceur  d'Alenes,  now  reduced  to 
a  few  hundreds,  have  remained  a  saintly  tribe,  among 
whom  a  priest  can  hear  confessions  for  years  without  ever 
having  to  absolve  a  single  mortal  sin.  The  Sioux,  for 
whose  conversion  Father  De  Smet  labored  twenty-five 
years,  have  several  missions  in  South  Dakota,  and  have 
become  as  strong  Christians  as  they  were  formerly  ter- 
rifying warriors.  Even  in  Alaska  the  Indians  have  re- 
ceived the  Gospel,  and  among  those  who  have  been  at- 
tracted to  this  fruitful  apostolate,  many  have  acknowledged 
that  Father  De  Smet's  example  decided  their  vocation. 

Thus  the  missionary's  work  lives  after  him,50  and  al- 
though he  was  powerless  to  prevent  the  extermination  of 

St.  Ignatius'  Mission  among  the  Pend  d'Oreilles  or  Kalispels. 

The  Sacred  Heart  Mission  among  the  Cceur  d'Alenes. 

The  St.  Paul  Mission  at  Colville  on  the  Columbia. 

St.  Peter's  Mission  among  the  Blackfeet  on  the  Upper  Missouri. 

St.  Joseph's  Mission  among  the  Yakimas,  in  the  State  of  Oregon. 

The  Mission  of  the  Sacred  Hearts  of  Jesus  and  Mary,  at  Helena. 

To  these  missions  were  attached  other  less  important  posts  established 
.among  the  different  tribes,  notably  those  for  the  Spokanes  and  Kootenais. 

In  1884,  Senator  George  Vest  informed  the  Senate  in  full  session  of  the 
growing  prosperity  of  these  missions:  "I  can  assert  that  nowhere  in  the 
United  States  have  such  satisfactory  results  been  obtained  as  in  the  Jesuit 
Missions.  .  .  .  The  girls  are  taught  needlework;  they  are  taught  to  sew  and 
teach;  they  are  taught  music;  they  are  taught  to  keep  house.  The  young 
men  are  taught  to  work  upon  the  farm,  to  herd  cattle,  to  be  blacksmiths, 
carpenters,  and  millwrights.  ...  I  do  not  speak  with  any  sort  of  denomina- 
tional prejudice  in  favor  of  the  Jesuits.  I  was  taught  to  abhor  the  whole 
sect.  I  was  raised  in  that  good,  old-school  Presbyterian  church  that  looked 
upon  a  Jesuit  as  very  much  akin  to  the  devil,  .  .  .  but  I  defy  any  one  to 
find  me  a  single  tribe  of  Indians  on  the  plains — blanket  Indians — that 
approximate,  in  civilization,  to  the  Flatheads,  who  have  been  under  the 
control  of  the  Jesuits  for  fifty  years.  I  say  that  out  of  eleven  tribes  that 
I  saw,  and  I  say  this  as  a  Protestant — where  they  had  had  Protestant  mis- 
sionaries, they  had  not  made  a  single  solitary  advance  toward  civilization, 
not  one;  yet  among  the  Flatheads,  where  there  were  two  Jesuit  Missions, 
you  find  farms,  you  find  civilization,  you  find  Christianity,  you  find  the 
relation  of  husband  and  wife  and  of  father  and  child  scrupulously  observed." 
(Speech  of  George  Vest  before  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  May  12,  1884.) 
60  The  Rocky  Mountain  Missions,  with  those  of  Dakota  and  southern 
Alaska,  form  to-day  a  part  of  the  California  Province,  founded  in  1909. 
Of  the  four  hundred  members  composing  the  Province,  over  one  hundred 
«devote  their  lives  to  the  apostolate  of  the  Indians. 


390     THE  LIFE  OF  FATHER  DE  SMET,  S.J. 

the  Western  tribes  in  the  United  States,  he  procured  for 
the  Indians  in  the  bosom  of  the  Catholic  Church  the 
assurance  of  a  better  life  and  of  a  kingdom  that  could  not 
be  taken  from  them  through  the  injustice  of  men.51 

51  At  Termonde  on  Sept.  23,  1878,  was  unveiled  a  statue  erected  by  the 
Belgians  to  the  apostle  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Many  civil  and  ecclesias- 
tical notables  were  present.  Father  Charles  Verbeke  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus  pronounced  an  eloquent  panegyric,  followed  by  a  cantata,  the  work 
of  the  illustrious  composer,  Edgar  Tinel.  (See  the  Precis  Kistoriqu.es, 
1878,  p.  699,  et  seq.) 

This  monument  stands  in  the  center  of  a  square  beside  Notre  Dame  Col- 
lege. The  sculptor,  Fraikin,  has  represented  the  missionary  holding  in 
one  hand  a  crucifix  and  in  the  other  an  olive  branch.  On  the  pedestal  is 
the  following  inscription: 

PETRUS    •    JOHANNES    •    DE        SMET 

E    -    SOCIETATE    ■    JESU 

PERPETUITATE    •    LAUDIS    •    VIVET 

QUOD    ■    XXX    •    ANNORUM    •   LABORIBUS 

INDOS    •    ULTRA    •    MONTES    ■    SAXOSOS 

A   •    BARBARIE    •    AD    •    RELIGIONEM    •    CIVILEMQUE    •    CULTUM 

TRADUXIT 


PRINCIPAL  AUTHORITIES  CONSULTED 

De  Smet,    Voyages  aux  Montagnes-Rocheuses,  et  une  annee  de  sejour  chez 

les  Tribus  Indiennes    du    vaste  Territoire    de    l' Oregon,  dependant   des 

Etats-Unis   d'Amerique.     in-12.     Malines,  1844. 

Missions   de   I'Oregon,    et    Voyages    aux    Montagnes-Rocheuses,    aux 

Sources  de  la  Colombie,  de  V Athabasca  et  du  Sascatshawin,  en  1845-1846. 

in-12.     Ghent,  1848. 

Lettres  choisies   (1849-1873).     4  vol.  in  8°.     Bruxelles,  1875-1878. 

(Edition  published  by  Father  Deynoodt.) 
Linton  Album  (St.  Louis  University). 
Chittenden  and  Richardson,  Father  De  Smet's  Life,  Letters,  and  Travels 

among  the  North  American  Indians.     4  vols.     New  York,  1905. 
John  Gilmary  Shea,  History  of  the  Catholic  Missions  among  the  Indian 

Tribes  of  the   United  States  (1529-1854).     New  York,   1855. 
A  History  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States.    2  vols.    New 

York,  1890,  1892. 
Thomas  Hughes,  S.  J.,  History  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  in  North  America. 

London,  19 10. 
Marshall,    Christian  Missions,   their  Agents   and   their    Results.     2   vols. 

London,  1863. 

The   same   work.     French   translation   with   supplement   by    Louis 

de  Waziers.     2  vols.     Paris,  1865. 
Bancroft,  History  of  the  United  States.     8  vols.  London,  1861. 
Palladino,  S.  J.,  Indian  and  White  in  the  Northwest,  or  a  History  of  Catholic- 
ity in  Montana.     Baltimore,  1894. 
W.  Hill,  S.  J.,  Historical  Sketch  of  the  St.  Louis  University,  St.  Louis,  1879. 
G.  Kurth,  Sitting  Bull.     (Extract  of  the  Revue  Generate.)     Bruxelles,  1879. 
Helen  Hunt  Jackson,  A  Century  of  Dishonor,  a  Sketch  of  the  United  States 

Government's  dealings  with  some  of  the  Indian  Tribes.     Boston,  1909. 
G.  Catlin,  Illustration  of  the  Manners,  Costumes,  and  Condition  of  the  North 

American  Indians.     2  vols.     London,  1845. 
Baunard,  Histoire  de  Madam  Duchesne,     in-12.     Paris,  1901. 
Annates  de  la  Propagation  de  la  Foi. 
Missions   Catholiques. 
The  Woodstock  Letters. 


INDEX 


Accidents,  The  year  of,  227 

Accolti,  Father,  171,  192,  201,  243 

Account  of  first  Provincial  Council  of 
Baltimore  {foot-note),  50 

Agenoria,  the  Brig,  68 

Album,  The  Linton,  377 

Alleghany  Mountains,  23 

Alost,  College  of,  10,  II;  Father  De 
Smet  at,  72 

Altham  and  White,  Fathers,  among 
the  Indians,  24 

American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 
101 

American  Fur  Co.,  225 

Americans  in  general  not  a  party  to 
Indian  injustice  {foot-note),  320 

America,  Society  of  Jesus  re-estab- 
lished in,  14;  immigration  of 
priests  to,  25 

Amsterdam,  Father  Nerinckx  in,  16; 
Peter  De  Smet  and  companions 
reach,  17;  Charles  De  Smet  fol- 
lows his  brother  to,  18 

Antwerp,  Father  De  Smet  accom- 
panies seven  missionaries  to,  72 

Apostle  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  95 

Archbishop  Hughes  and  the  Emi- 
grants' Savings  Bank,  258 

Arkansas,  Territory  in,  set  apart  for 
the  Indians,  78 

Assiniboin  chief,  Tchatka,  the,  294 

Assiniboins  of  the  Forest,  183 

Assumption.  Mission  of  the,  174 

Athabasca,  187;  Fort  Assiniboin  on 
the,  188 

Atrocities  committed  against  the 
Indians,  272,  273 

Attacks  on  Catholicism  in  St.  Louis, 

262 
Ayonais,  53 

Badin,  Father,  13 

Bad  Lands  route  to  the  Sioux,  208 

Baltimore,  Lord,  24,  318 

Baltimore  an  episcopal  see,  25;  John 
Carroll,  first  Bishop  of,  25;  nov- 
ices leave,  32;  first  Provincial 
Council  of  {foot-note),  50;  second 
Council  of,  62 ;  seventh  Council  of, 
225;      eighth     Council     of,     255; 

26 


Archbishop  of,  proposes  Father  De 
Smet  as  representative,  363 

Bapst,  Father,  265 

Barat,  Madam,  38,  51 

Barrens,  Sisters  of  Loretto  at,  42 

Bax,  Father,  missionary  to  the 
Osages,  222;   death  of,  223,  317 

Bay,  Pend  d'Oreilles  of  the  {foot-note), 
136 

Beatification  of  Blessed  Peter  Cani- 
sius,  331 

Beckx,  Father,  successor  to  Father 
Roothaan,  268 

Bedini,  Archbishop,  Papal  Nuncio,  263 

Beirvelde,  9;  preparatory  seminary 
of  St.  Nicolas  at,  10 

Belgian  Legation,  Father  De  Smet 
and  the,  302 

Belgium  to  France,  Decree  to  annex 
(foot-note),  3;  a  part  of  the  Low 
Countries,  17;   province  of,  67 

Benediction  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
given  for  the  first  time  in  St. 
Louis  by  a  Jesuit,  35 

Benton,  Conversion  of  Randolph,  260 

Big  Face,  chief  of  Flatheads,  to 
Father  De  Smet,  112;  named  Paul 
in  baptism,  124;  Victor  succeeds 
him,   132;    holy  death  of,  135 

Bishop  Ryan's  Panegyric  on  Father 
De  Smet,  387 

Bitter  Root  River,  125 

Blackfeet,  country  of  the,  113;  dan- 
ger in  vicinity  of,  115;  band  of, 
follows  Father  De  Smet,  116;  chief 
of,  tests  Father  De  Smet's  courage, 
117;  harass  Flatheads,  179;  St. 
Mary's  Mission  frequently  at- 
tacked by,  179;  meet  the  mis- 
sionary, 185;  pagan  sacrifices  of, 
199;  Father  Adrian  Hoecken 
founds  a  mission  for,  282;  Sisters 
of  Charity  among  the,  360 

Black  Hawk,  Chief,  320 

Black  Hills,  Name  of  "De  Smet" 
given  to  richest  mine  in  the  {foot- 
note), 320 

Black  Moon,  Chief,  351 

Black  Robe,  Pawnee  Loups  ask  for,  86 ; 
the  French,  116;   "the  great,"  117 


394 


INDEX 


Blanchet,  Rev.  F.  N.,  appointed 
Vicar  General,  147;  meeting  be- 
tween Father  De  Smet  and,  148; 
made  Bishop  of  Oregon,  156,  192; 
hastens  to  Vancouver  to  greet 
Father  De  Smet,  162 

Blessed  Virgin  appears  to  children, 
124,  130;  Society  of,  among  the 
Flatheads,   133 

Boat  Encampment  on  the  Columbia, 
189,  191 

Boernstein,  262 

Boeteman,  Father,  at  Turnhout,  374 

Bois-le-duc,  Seminary  of,  73 ;  diocese 

of,  157 

Bolduc,  Father,  opens  St.  Joseph  s 
College,  163 

Bossuet,  maxim  of,  28 

Bouchard,  Rev.  Jacques,  217,  218; 
ordained  priest,  219;  appointed  to 
San  Francisco  Mission,  219;  Kis- 
talwa,  father  of,  217;   Marie,  217 

Bourassa,  Father,  187 

Brabant,  Father  Smarius  of,  256 

Brabant,  Herffelingen  near,  birth- 
place of  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx, 
12 

Breda,  Seminary  of,  73;    diocese  of, 

157 

Brief  of  Clement  XIV,  25 

Brig  Agenoria,  The,  68 

Brigham  Young  defies  United  States 
Government,  269 

British  Columbia,  formerly  New 
Caledonia,  171 

Brondel  of  Helena,  Bishop,  248 

Brown,  Mount,  188 

Brownson,  the  writer,  255 

"Bruges-la-Morte,"  2 

Bueten,  Father  John,  17,  21 

Butler,  General,  on  Protestant  chap- 
lains, 306 

Buydens,  Marie  Jeanne,  mother  of 
the  missionary,  4;  children  of,  5; 
death  of,  6 

Caldwell,  William,  half-breed  chief  of 

Patawatomies,  82 
Cambon,  Deputy  {foot-note),  3 
Campaign  against  Indians,  Cost  of, 

326 
Campbell,   V.   H.,   Letter  to,  about 

gold-mines  {foot-note),  320 
Canadian  Catholic,  The  old,  328 
Canadians,  Father  Vercruysse  founds 

new  parish  for,  171 
Canisius,  Blessed  Peter,  Beatification 

of,  33i 

Cannonball  River,  349 

Carbonari,  The,  262 

Carleton,  General,  on  Cheyenne  mas- 
sacre, 339 


Carmelites  of  Termonde,  71 
Carroll,  Bishop,  13,  25;    petitions  to 
have  the  Jesuits  in  his  diocese,  25; 
Archbishop,  248 
Caruana,  Father,  314 
Cataldo,  Father,  testimony  of,  con- 
cerning Indian  missions,  244 
Catholic  Church  at  Vancouver,  147;. 
at     Willamette,      147,      148;      at 
Cowlitz,  147 
Catholic  college  near  St.  Louis,  58; 
State  of  Missouri  bestows  title  of 
University  on,  60 
Caughnawaga  Mission,  Catholic  Iro- 
quois leave,  98 
Cephren  and  Cheops,  181 
Chaudiere  or  Kettle  Indians,  144 
Cherokees  on  Indian  Territory,  96 
Chickasaws  on  Indian  Territory,  97 
Chivington,  Colonel,  massacres  Chey- 

ennes,  339 
Chouteau,  Charles,  310 
Christian  village,  plans  for,  55 
Civil  War  in  the  United  States,  299; 
Missouri   on    the  dividing  line  in 
the,  300 
Claessens,  Brother  William,  121,  141 
Clarke  and  Lewis,  first  white  men  to 

explore  country  of  Flatheads,  97 
Clarke,  Major,  reports  on  Catholic 

schools  {foot-note),  222 
Clement  XIV,  Brief  of,  25 
Cceur  d'Alenes,  incidents  of  conver- 
sion of,    142;    Sacred  Heart  mis- 
sion among  the,  165;    Louise  Sig- 
houin,  daughter  of  a  chief  of,  166; 
Father  Ravalli  goes  to  the  mission 
of,  246;   address  the  Holy  Father, 
367;    Holy  Father  sends  blessing 
to,  370 
College,  The  Indian,  50 
Columbia  River,  97;  Fort  Colville  on 
the,  136;   catastrophe  on  the,  145; 
danger    of    entry    into    the,    160; 
range  separating  the  Saskatchewan 
from,  185;    Boat  Encampment  on 
the,  189,  191 
Columbia,  the,  22 ;  at  Philadelphia,  23 
Colville  Agency  {foot-note),  363 
Conewago,  Peter  De  Smet  arrives  at, 

32 
Congiato,  Father,  281,  282,  283 
Contich,  19 

Conversion  of  Randolph  Benton,  260 
Converts,  Naming  of  Indian,  89 
Council    Bluffs,    camp    of    Potawa- 

tomies  near,  80,  88,  220 
Council  of  Fort  Laramie,  229,  234, 
235;  concluded,  237;  how  broken, 
324;  of  Baltimore,  first  Provincial 
{foot-note),  50;  second,  62;  sev- 
enth, 225;   eighth,  255 


INDEX 


395 


Cowlitz,  Catholic  Church  at,  147 
Cox,  Mr.,  trader,  speaks  of  honesty 

of  Flatheads,  98 
Cranincx,  Dr.,  professor  at  Univer- 
sity of  Louvain,  1 1 ;  assists  Father 
De  Smet,  16 
Creeks  on  Indian  Territory,  97 
Crows  allied  to  the  Flatheads,   131 

(foot-note),  149 
Cross  of  Peace,  The,  182 
Custer,  Massacre  of  General,  366 

Dakotas  or  Sioux,  209 

Dalles,  Indians  of  the  Great,  193 

Damen,  Arnold,  74,  256 

Dardenne,  village  of,  50 

Daughter  of  Red  Fish,  The,  210 

De  Brebeuf,  Father,  and  his  com- 
panions, 24 

Dedication  of  mountain  to  St. 
Ignatius,  III 

De  la  Croix,  Rev.  Charles,  35;  at 
Florissant,  49;  description  of  (foot- 
note), 49;  at  St.  Louis  College,  59; 
appointed  Superior  of  Missouri 
Mission,  60 

Delano,  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  363 

Delauneau,  first  teacher  of  mission- 
ary, 7 

Dela wares,  Kistalwa,  chief  of,  217 

De  Maillet,  Francis,  15,  40 

De  Maistre,  Joseph,  96 

Demers,  Rev.  Modeste,  147,  171 

De  Meyer,  Brother  Peter,  31 

De  Neckere,  Bishop,  succeeds  Bish- 
op Dubourg  (foot-note),  58 

De  Nef,  Mr.  P.,  of  Turnhout,  16,  63; 
death  of,  167 

De  Ram,  Mgr.,  12,  17,  65 

De  Saegher,  Colette,  5 

Desgenettes,  Father,  203 

De  Smet,  family  of,  2 ;  Jean  Baptiste, 
4;  Joost,  2;  marriage  of ,  2 ;  family 
record  of,  5;  John,  2;  Rosalie, 
Francis  and  Charles,  5;  death  of 
Charles,  292 

De  Smet,  Father  Peter,  birth  of,  5; 
dubbed  "  Samson  "  because  of  great 
strength,  7,  39;  boyhood  of,  8-12; 
Father  Nerinckx  and,  12-15,  331 
on  his  way  to  America,  16-22; 
at  Baltimore,  Georgetown,  White- 
marsh,  23,  26;  apostle  of  the  Ros- 
ary, 29;  Florissant,  31,  56;  first 
vows,  40;  and  Father  De  Theux, 
44;  receives  Holy  Orders,  46; 
difficulties  of,  48,  50;  and  Madam 
Duchesne,  51;  near  St.  Louis,  59; 
in  Belgium  62,  65;  sickness  of, 
prevents  return  to  United  States, 
68-71;  severs  connection  with 
Society,  71;    activities  of,  71-74; 


again  in  America,  74;  rejoins  So- 
ciety, 75 ;  at  Potawatomies,  80,  82, 
90;  Otoes,  81;  fights  sale  of  liquor 
to  Indians,  92;  apostle  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  95,  121;  at 
Flatheads,  108-1 12;  at  Crows,  113; 
hostile  Blackfeet  follow,  116;  down 
Missouri  River,  118;  at  Fort  Col- 
ville,  136;  at  Fort  Vancouver,  142; 
at  Cceur  d'Alenes,  143;  method  of 
teaching,  144;  on  the  Columbia, 
145;  at  Fort  Union,  151;  back  to 
St.  Louis,  152;  begging  tour  in 
United  States,  1 53 ;  in  Europe,  154; 
in  Rome,  155,  156;  in  United 
States,  158;  at  Valparaiso,  Callao, 
Santiago,  and  Lima,  160;  at  dif- 
ferent missions,  165-176;  converts 
would-be  murderers,  178;  pacifies 
Blackfeet,  180;  difficult  journeys, 
1 81-190;  to  Europe  with  Father 
Elet,  202;  in  St.  Louis,  207;  in 
Sioux  country,  207-210;  work 
suspended,  213;  appointed  Vice- 
Provincial,  214;  Colonel  Mitchell 
asks  cooperation  of  in  Great 
Council,  229;  sad  journey  to  Fort 
Laramie,  231;  treaty  of  Fort 
Laramie,  237;  years  of  trial,  239; 
to  leave  America,  250;  care  for 
emigrants,  257;  again  declines 
episcopate,  266;  chaplain  to  the 
soldiers,  217;  pacifies  tribes,  270- 
278;  visits  "reductions,"  280-284; 
death  of  his  brother  Charles,  292; 
wreck  of  Humboldt,  297;  defends 
his  writings,  303;  in  Oregon,  313- 
316;  mediates  with  Sioux,  326- 
330;  in  Europe,  331 ;  knight  of  the 
order  of  Leopold,  333;  again  re- 
fuses bishopric,  334;  pacifier  of 
tribes,  339-349;  given  title  of 
"Major,"  342;  ovation  at  Fort 
Rice,  357;  Grant's  Indian  Peace 
Policy,  362;  last  journey  to  Bel- 
gium, 372;  serious  illness,  373;  at 
St.  Louis,  374;  lovable  character- 
istics, and  devotions  of,  375-381; 
blesses  the  De  Smet,  384;  death  of, 
386;  grief  of  Indians  over,  388; 
statue  unveiled  at  Termonde,  390 

De  Smet,  mines  in  the  Black  Hills 
(foot-note),  320 

De  Theux,  Rev.  Theodore,  42; 
sketch  of,  43;  assistant  at  St. 
Charles,  49 ;  death  of,  202 

De  Velder,  Jean  Baptiste,  the  old 
grenadier,  107  (foot-note),  118 

De  Vos,  Rev.  Peter,  72,  87,  93;  ap- 
pointed Superior  in  Father  De 
Smet's  absence,  153,  171,  192,  243; 
death  of,  317 


396 


INDEX 


Devotions  in  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
135 

Discovery  of  gold  and  what  it  meant 
to  the  Indians,  271 

Drink  Question  among  the  Indians, 
84,  91 

Dubourg,  Bishop,  sketch  of  (foot- 
note), 30;  receives  first  Jesuit 
novices,  35;  head  of  Georgetown 
College,  30;  death  of  (foot-note),  58 

Duchesne,  Madam,  38,  220,  249 

Duerinck,  Father,  221;   death  of,  317 

Duerinck,  Marie  Jeanne,  2;  children 

of,  5 
Dumortier,  Father,  221 
Dzierozynski,  Father,  43,  58 

Eagle  Head,  Speech  of,  237 

Edmonton,  Fort,  on  the  Saskat- 
chewan, 187,  189 

Eighth  Provincial  Council  of  Balti- 
more, 255 

Elet,  John  Anthony,  15,  17;  receives 
Holy  Orders  at  Florissant,  46; 
assistant  at  St.  Charles,  49;  goes  to 
Europe  with  Father  De  Smet,  202 ; 
at  St.  Louis  College,  59;  Vice- 
Provincial,  213;   death  of,  248 

Elet,  Rev.  Charles,  206 

Emigrant  ships,  257 

Enghien,  66 

Everberg-Meerbeke,  Father  Nerinckx 
curate  of,  12 


Faith,  Society  for  the  Propagation  of 

the,  37 
Father  of  Waters,  Meschac6be\  34 
First  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore 

(foot-note),  50 
Flatheads,  belong  to  the  Sa'lish-an 
stock  (foot-note),  97;  origin  of 
name  unknown  (foot-note),  97; 
faith  of  the,  99,  108;  Father  De 
Smet  is  sent  to  the,  103;  Big  Face, 
chief  of,  112;  St.  Mary's  Mission 
started  among,  126;  Victor,  chief 
of,  132;  Society  &i  the  Sacred 
Heart,  132;  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
133;  Blackfeet  harass,  179.  (See 
St.  Mary's  Mission.) 
Floating  Monastery,  The,  33 
Florissant,  Jesuit  mission  at,  35; 
novices  make  first  vows  at,  40; 
Bishop  Rosati  confers  Holy  Orders 
at,  46;  school  for  Indian  pupils  at, 

53,  54.  55  .     .  ,    . 

Fort  Alexander,  234;  Assmboin  on 
the  Athabasca,  188;  Benton,  284; 
Father  Giorada  at,  311;  Colville 
on  the  Columbia  River,  136,  140, 
274;  Edmonton,  187,  189;  Jasper, 
188;  Laramie,  council  of,  229,  234, 


235,  237,  324;    Leavenworth,  270; 

Lookout,    200;     Pierre,    115,    117; 

Rice,  348;    Union,   115,  151,  233; 

Vancouver,  142;   Vermillion,  117. 
French  Jesuits,  Influence  of,  98 
Funeral  of  Father  De  Smet,  386 

Gabriel  the  half-breed,  151 

Gaillard,  Father,  221 

Gallitzin,  Madam,  220 

Gaucher,  Peter,  102 

Gazzoli,  Rev.  Gregory  (foot-note),  193, 

194.  314 

General  Butler  on  Protestant  Chap- 
lains, 306 

Georgetown  (foot-note),  De  Smet  goes 
to,  23;  first  Jesuit  college  at,  26; 
Bishop  Dubourg  head  of  (foot-note), 

30 

Ghent,  Peteghem  in,  26 

Giorda,  Father,  at  Fort  Benton,  31 1 

Gleizal,  Father,  74 

Goetz,  Rev.  Anthony  (foot-note),  193 

Gold,  discovery  of,  271;    Father  De 

Smet's  knowledge  of  hidden,  320 
Government  Agents,  Complaints  of 

Indians     against,     342;     Brigham 

Young  defies  United  States,  269; 

Grant  to  Potawatomies,  91 
Grand  Coteau,  Father  Point  founds 

college  at,  120 
Grant's  Indian  Peace  Policy,  362 
Grassi,  Father,  43,  314,  315 
Great  Dalles,  Indians  of  the,  193 
Gregory  XVI  and  Father  De  Smet, 

156 

Gruber,  Father,  Superior  of  Jesuits 

in  Russia,  25 
Guidi,  Father,  372 


Harney,    General,    heads   expedition 
against    Mormons,  269,  275,  279; 
on  Peace  Commission,  348 
Helena,  Bishop  Brondel  of,  248 
Heusden,    Jean    Baptiste    De    Smet 

parish  priest  of,  4 
Hoecken,  Father  Adrian,  founds  mis- 
sion for  the  Blackfeet,  282 
Hoecken,    Father   Christian,   among 
the  Kickapoos,  78;  at  the  Potawa- 
tomi  mission,  95 ;  in  the  mountains, 
153,    175,    192;    at   Sugar   Creek, 
220;   at  the  Sioux,  223;   starts  for 
Fort    Laramie,     230;      death    on 
board  the  St.  Ange,  231 
Holland,  Hostility  of  Protestant,  17 
Holy  Sacrifice,  Plain  of  the,  107 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  146 
Huet,  Brother,  67,  121,  149 
Hughes,  Bishop,  154,  258 
Humboldt,  Aboard  the,  297 
Hunkpapas,  348 


INDEX  397 

Ignace,  chief  of  the  Yakimas,  367  La  Barge,  Captain,  230 

Ignatius,  "Young,"  99,  102,  103,  123;  Ladies  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  Madam 

"old,"  99;  death  of ,  ioi  Duchesne,  Superior  of,  37,  51,  53, 

Illinois,  24  220 

Imoda,  Father,  311  Lalemant,    Father,    and    his    com- 

Indian     Affairs,     Colonel     Mitchell  panions,  24 

Superintendent  of,  229  La  Mousse,  Ignatius,  98 

Indian  College,  The,  50  Land   Policy   of   the   United   States 

Indian   Peace   Policy,  Grant's,   362;  Government,  55 

pupils,     school     for,     53 ;     school,  Lany,  Bishop,  of  Santa  Fe,  268 

United  States   grants   subsidy  to,  Laramie,  Council  of  Fort,  229,  234, 

52,  54;  territory,  in  Arkansas,  78;  235,  237,  324 

old  Kalispel,  139  Latter-Day  Saints,  269 

Indians,  reject  Protestant  ministers,  Legation,  Belgian,  302 

52;    land,    seizure    of,    319;     de-  Leopold  II,  226 

crease    100,000    in    population    in  Lewis  and  Clarke,  first  white  men  to 

ten  years,  323;    cost  of  campaign  explore  country  of  Flatheads,  97 

against,  326;    tribes   of:  Abenaki,  Lincoln,  President,  302 

Iroquois,  Hurons,  Blackfeet,  Crows,  Linton,  Album,  377;     Doctor,    pro- 

Assiniboins,      Grosventres,      Flat-  fessor  at  St.  Louis  University,  377 

heads,  Pend  d'Oreilles  or  Kalispels,  Loretto,  Father  Nerinckx  and  Sisters 

Cceur     d'Alenes,     Chandieres     or  of,  33 

Kettles,  Spokanes,  Kootenais,  Nez  Louvain,  University  of,  II,  12 
Percys,  Ampajoots  (Yampah  Utes), 

Mandans,  Pawnees,  Sioux,  Chey-  Mackenzie  River,  187 

ennes,    Okinagans,    Sinpoils,    Zin-  Major,  Father  De  Smet  given  title 

gomenes,  Flatbows,  Aricaras,  Crees,  of,  342 

Santees,  Yanktons,  Poncas,  B  rules,  Mar£chal,  Archbishop,  12,  23,  43 

Ogallalas,  Omahas,  Peorias,  Mia-  Marquette,  Father,  24,  328 

mis,  Palooses,  Senecas,  Creeks,  and  Maryland  Province,  14 

Yakimas  Massacre,    the    Cheyenne,  339;    the 

Infatigable,  Aboard  the,  158  Custer,  366 

Iowas,  78  Mazelli,  Brother,  80 

Iron  Shield,  chief  of  Miniconjous,  344  Mazzini,  264 

Iroquois,  98  McGean,  Brother  (foot-note),  157 

Island,  Texel,  20,  23  McLoughlin,  John,  146 

Isle  of  Re,  4  Mechlin,  11,  12,  15,  55,  65 

Isthmus  of  Panama,  275  Meerbeke,  Everberg-,  12 

Italyand  Switzerland, Jesuits from,207  Menetrey,    Rev.   Joseph    (foot-note), 

193 

Jackson,  President,  55  Mengarini,  Rev.  Gregory,  appointed 

Jasper,  Fort,   188  to  Rocky  Mountain  Missions,  119; 

Jesuits,  the  English,  24;   in  Russia,  sketch  of,  120,  149,  169,  196,  243, 

25;  from  Switzerland  and  Italy,  207  246 

Jogues,  Father,  24  Meschacebe\  the  Father  of  Waters,  34 

Joset,  Father,  157,  194,  240  Method  of  teaching  the  tribes  their 

"Journeys    to    the    Rocky    Moun-  prayers,  144 

tains,"  publication  of,  203  Miege,  Father,  223;    made  Bishop, 

Judith  River,  197  240 

Miniconjous,    Gen.   Shield,  chief  of, 

Kalispel  Lake,  138  344 

Kalispels  or  Pend  d'Oreilles,  106,  131  Ministers,  Protestant,  interfere  with 

Kansas  City  (Westport),  121  work,  48;  Indians  reject,  52 

Kearny,  Colonel,  82  Mission,    Jesuit,    at    Florissant,    35; 

Kenrick,  Archbishop,  259  of   the   Assumption,    174;    of   the 

Kentucky  Missions,  13  Immaculate  Heart  of  Mary,  180 

Kickapoos,  78,  79,  97  Missions,  American,  24;   founded  by 

King  William,  Favorites  of,  17,  22  Father  De  Smet  (foot-note),  388 

Kistalwa,  Delaware  chief,  217  Missoula,  town  of,  125 

Know-Nothings,  263  Missouri,  Description  of  cyclone  in, 

Kohlmann,  Rev.  Anthony,  14,  23  121;    on  the  dividing  line  in  the 

Kossuth,  262  Civil  War,  300 


398 


INDEX 


Missouri  River  explored,  24,  118  Pagan  sacrifices  of  Blackfeet,  199 

Mitchell,  Colonel,  Superintendent  of    Palooses,  274 


gazelle," 


Indian  Affairs,  229 
Molyneux,  Father,  26 
Monotowan,    the    "white 

217 
Montez,  Lola,  262 
Moon,  Chief  Black,  351 
Mount  Brown,  188 
Mountains,  Teton  (foot-note),  1 10 
Movement,  Oxford,  255 
Muratori  Relation,  127 
Murphy,  Father,  251 


Natchez,  24 
Nathon,  Father,  265 
Neale,  Rev.  Charles,  30 
Nebraska  River,  Platte  or,  104 
Neosho,   St.  Francis  Nieronymo  on 

the,  222 
Nerinckx,     Abbe"    John,    brother    of 

Rev.  Charles,  69 
Nerinckx,     Rev.     Charles,     12,     13; 

founds    Congregation    Sisters    of 

Loretto,  13;  declines  bishopric,  13, 

14,  22,  23,  33,  42 
New  Caledonia    (British  Columbia) 

Mission,  Father  Point  at,  171,  192; 

Father  Demers  at,  171 
"New  Indian  Sketches," 

of,  303 
New  Orleans,  13 
Nez  Percys,  Catholic  tribe  of,  given 

to  the  Presbyterians,  365;   origin 

of  name  unknown  (foot-note),  97 
Nicolas,   St.,  preparatory    Seminary 

of,  10,  16 
Nicollet,  Mr.,  scientist,  89 
Niobrara,  home  of  the  Poncas,  208 
Nobili,  Father,  171,  173,  192,  317 
No  Neck,  chief,  351 
North  America,  Sioux  most  powerful 

tribe  of,  209 
Notre  Dame  de   Namur,  Sisters  of, 

157,  192 


Panama,  Isthmus  of,  275 
Pananniapapi,  chief  of  the  Yanktons, 

337.  342 
Panegyric  of  Bishop  Ryan,  387 
Papagos,  Agency  of  (foot-note),  363 
Papal  Nuncio  to  Brazil,  Attacks  on, 

263 
Paraguay, "  Reductions  "  (foot-note), 

126 
Parker,  General,  365 
Paul,  the  little  orphan,  130 
Pawnee-Loups,  86 

Peace  Commission,  343,  347;  Policy, 
Grant's  Indian,  362;  the  Cross  of, 
182;   River,  187 
Pend  d'Oreilles  of  the  Bay  (foot-note), 

136;    Peter,  chief  of,  133 
Perm,  William,  318 
Perils  of  Emigrant-ships,  257 
Peteghem  in  Ghent,  26 
Petit,  Father,  220 
Philadelphia,  23 
Pierre,  Fort,  117 
Pierre's  Hole,  no 

Pius  IX  blesses  the  Cceur  d'Alenes, 
370;  raises  Osage  and  Potawatomi 
missions  to  vicariate  apostolic,  223 
publication    Platte  or  Nebraska  River,  104 

Pleasanton,  Major-General,  280,  320 
Point,    Father   Nicholas,    sketch   of, 

120,  165,  194 
Poncas,  Niobrara,  home  of  the,  208 
Population   of    San   Francisco,    229; 
of  St.  Louis,  35;   of  United  States 
in  1780,  96 
Portage  des  Sioux,  50,  79 
Potawatomies,  ask  for  a  Black  Robe, 
79,  80,  82,  85;   camp  near  Council 
Bluffs,    80,    220;    fear   Sioux,    89, 
117  (foot-note),  222,  227,  301;  mis- 
sion   among,    raised    to    vicariate 
apostolic,  323 
Powder  River,  351,  356 


Notre  Dame  des  Victoires,  Cathedral    Presbyterians,  Nez  Percys  given  to 


of,  202 

O'Connell,  Daniel,  154 

Ogallalas,  348 

Ohio,  famous  Falls  of  the,  33 

Okinagans,  144 

"Oregon    Missions,"    publication    of 

the,  203 
Oregon  Territory,  146 
Origin  of   names   of   Flatheads  and 

Nez  Perces  unknown  (foot-note),  97 
Osages  retire  to  Indian  Territory,  55, 

78,  222;    cede  29,000,000  acres  of 

land,  320;  Father  De  Smet  secures 

subsidies  for,  301 
Otoes,  81 


the,  365 

President  Jackson,  35 

President  Washington  to  the  Catho- 
lics, 25 

Princess'  hospitality,  82 

Protestant  Holland,  hostility  of,  17; 
ministers  interfere  with  work,  48 

Randolph  Benton,  Conversion  of,  260 
Ravalli,  Father,  171,  175,  192,  243, 

246,  273 
Red  Fish,  daughter  of,  210;  son  of,  312 
Redskins,  abuse  of  the  word   (foot- 
note), 53 
"Reductions,"  Paraguay  (foot-note)t 
126 


INDEX 


399 


Reiselman,  Brother  Henry,  31 

Re,  Isle  of,  4 

Ringoot,  Father,  5 

Rocky  Mountain  House,  189 

Rocky  Mountains,  apostle  of  the,  95 ; 
Father  De  Smet  writes  verses  to, 
122;  devotions  in  the,  135;  Mis- 
sions of,  281 

Rogier,  Charles,  333 

Rollier,  Baptiste,  5 

Rome,  Bishop  Hughes  in,  154 

Root-diggers  or  Snakes,  also  called 
Shoshones,  107,  131 

Roothaan,  Very  Rev.  John,  General 
of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  55,  60, 
155,  246,  249 

Rosary,  Father  De  Smet,  apostle  ot, 
29 

Rosati,  Bishop,  confers  Holy  Orders 
on  Father  De  Smet  and  his  three 
companions,  46;  offers  ground  for 
a  Catholic  college  near  St.  Louis, 
58;   sketch  of  (foot-note),  58 

Roulers,  26 

Rumbeke,  26 

Russia,  Jesuits  in,  25 

Sacred  Heart,  Ladies  of  the,  37; 
Society  of  the,  132 

Saints,  Latter-Day,  269 

Sa'lish-an  stock,  Flatheads  belong 
to  the  (foot-note),  97 

"Samson,"  7,  39 

San  Francisco,  Mission  of,  Father 
Bouchard  appointed  to,  219;  in- 
crease in  population  of,  229 

Santa  Fe\  Bishop  Lamy  of,  268 

Santees,  330 

Saskatchewan,  'range  separating  wa- 
ters of  the  Columbia  from,  182, 
185;  Fort  Edmonton  on  the,  187, 
189 

Sa-tan-ka.     (See  Sitting-Bull) 

Savings  Bank,  Emigrants',  208 

Schelde,  dikes  of  the,  1 ;  translator's 
note  on,  1 

Schoenmakers,  Father,  222 

Seizure  of  Indians'  Land,  319 

Seminoles  on  Indian  Territory,  97 

Seventh  Council  of  Baltimore,  225 

Shawneetown,  Louisville  to,  34 

"Shepherd  of  the  Valley,"  paper 
founded  by  Bishop  Rosati,  60 

Sheridan,  General,  on  Peace  Com- 
mission, 348 

Sherman,  General,  on  Peace  Com- 
mission, 348 

Sibley,  General,  sent  against  the 
Sioux,  325 

Sighouin,  Louise,  daughter  of  chief 
of  Cceur  d'Alenes,  166 

Simon,  the  old  Flathead  Indian,  123 


Sioux  City,  342 

Sioux  Nation,  97,  117,  208,  209,  325, 

329,  357 

Sisters  of  Chanty,  Loretto  Congre- 
gation of,  13;  of  Notre  Dame  de 
Namur,  157,  192,  305;  among  the 
Blackfeet,  360 

Sitting-Bull  (Sa-tan-ka),  345,  35* ; 
revolt  of,  356;  how  named  (foot- 
note), 347 

Slave  Lake,  187 

Sleydinge,  4 

Smarius  of  Brabant,  Father,  256 

Smedts,  John,  of  Rotselaer,  15,  17,  317 

Snakes,  also  called  Shoshones  or 
Root-diggers,  107,  131 

Spokanes,  106 

Specht,  Brother,  121,  136 

Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Faith,  37;  of  Jesus  re-established 
in  America,  14;  Father  De  Smet 
withdraws  from,  on  account  of 
illness,  71;  Father  Verhaegen  re- 
admits him  to,  75 

Standard  of  Father  De  Smet,  355 

Stanley,  Major-General,  357 

Statue  at  Termonde,  Father  De 
Smet's  (foot-note),  390 

Steptoe,  Colonel,  attacked  by  In- 
dians, 274 

Strahan,  Brother  Charles,  31,  40 

Saint  Acheul,  College  of,  66;  Amand- 
lez-Puers,  2,  15;  Ange,  Fathers 
De  Smet  and  Hoecken  embark  on, 
230;  cholera  on,  231;  death  of 
Father  Hoecken  on,  231;  Anne, 
church  built  by  Father  De  Smet 
in  St.  Louis,  259;  Anne's  Mission, 
187;  Charles,  parish  of,  49;  Ferdi- 
nand (foot-note),  50;  Francis  Bor- 
gia's among  the  Pend  d'Oreilles, 
170;  Francis  Hieronymo's  Mission, 
222;  Francis  Regis'  Mission,  173, 
194;  Francis  Xavier's  near  the 
Willamette,  164;  Ignatius,  Moun- 
tain dedicated  to,  11 1;  Ignatius' 
Mission,  170,  187,  194,  277;  Jo- 
seph's College,  163;  St.  Louis,  nov- 
ices in  sight  of,  34;  population  of, 
35;  description  of ,  57,  58;  Catholic 
college  near,  58;  University  of,  60; 
77,  228 ;  attacks  on  Catholicism  in, 
262;  Mary's  Convent,  162;  Mary's. 
Mission  (foot-note),  95;  among  the 
Flatheads,  126,  136,  169;  attacked 
by  Blackfeet,  179;  missionaries 
abandon,  245;  reopened,  304;  Paul 
Colville  Mission,  173;  abandoned, 
273;  Peter  of  the  Lakes,  191; 
Peter's  Mission,  173 
Subsidies  for  Osage  and  Potawatomi 
Missions,  301 


400 


INDEX 


Sugar  Creek,  220 

Sully,  General,  sent  against  the  Sioux, 

326;  will  not  consent  to  peace,  330; 

asks  for  missionary,  337 ;  on  Peace 

Commission,  343,  347 
Sulpicians,  25 
Switzerland  and  Italy,  Jesuits  from, 

207 

Tchatka,  the  Assinibion  chief,  294 

Termonde,  description  of,  1,  2,  7,  12; 
statue  at  {foot-note),  390 

Territory  of  Oregon,  146 

Terry,  General,  on  Peace  Commis- 
sion, 348 

Testimony  of  Father  Cataldo,  244 

Teton  Mountains  {foot-note),  no 

Texel  Island,  20,  23 

Thibault,  Father,  187 

Timmermans,  Father  Peter,  27,  28, 

Treaty  of  Fort  Laramie,  235 

Tulalip  Agency  {foot-note),  362 

Turin  Province,  214 

Turnhout,  27,  63 

Two  Bears,  chief  of  the  Yanktons, 

359 

Umatilla  Agency  {foot-note),  363 
United  States  grants  subsidies  to  In- 
dian school,  52;   population  of,  in 
1780,  76;   asks  Father  De  Smet  to 
mediate,  340 
University  of  St.  Louis,  60 


Van    Assche,    Joost,    companion    of 
Father  De  Smet,  15  {foot-note),  17, 
46,    54;     celebrates   fiftieth    anni- 
versary,  374;    Father  De  Smet's 
funeral  Mass,  387 
Van  Boxelaere,  Father,  17,  21 
Vancouver,  Catholic   church  at,  147 
Van  de  Velde,  Rev.  James,  Bishop  of 
Natchez,  60,  202;    assistant  Vice- 
Provincial,  213,242;  death  of,  317 
Van   Horzig,    companion   of    Father 

De  Smet,  15,  23 
Van  Lil,  Father,  Belgian  Provincial, 

62,  67,  73 
Van  Mossevelde,  Charles,  5,  63 
Van  Quickenborne,    Father,  Master 
of    Novices    at    Whitemarsh,    26; 
energies  of,  27;   Superior  of  Floris- 
sant, 30,  41 ;   heroic  endurance  of, 
38;    appointed   Vicar-General,  44; 
spiritual  director,   51;    goes  west, 
60,  78  {foot-note),  79 
Vercruysse,  Father,  159,  273 
Verhaegen,     Peter,     companion     of 
Father  De  Smet,    15,   41,   49.   59 
{foot-note),   61,  75,  126,  153,  202; 
takes  Father  De  Smet's  place  as 


Assistant   Procurator,  239;     death 
of  {foot-note),  374 

Verheyden,  Peter,  of  Termonde,  67, 
69 

Verlooy,  Father  {foot-note),  n,  16 

Vermillion,  90;   Fort,  117 

Verreydt,  Felix,  companion  of  Father 
De  Smet,  15,  46,  49,  79,  80,  87 
{foot-note),  95,  220;  celebrates  fif- 
tieth anniversary,  374 

Veulemans,  Father,  companion  of 
Father  De  Smet,  15,  23 

Vice-Province  of  Missouri,  sketch  of, 
214 

Victor,  chief  of  Flatheads,  132,  145; 
President  Sacred  Heart  Society, 
132;  sends  message  to  Gregory 
XVI,  156 

Virgin,  Blessed,  appears  to  children, 
124,  130;  Society  of,  among  the 
Flatheads,  133 

Vows,  novices  make  first,  at  Floris- 
sant, 40 

Walla  Walla,  194 

Walloons  {foot-note),  10 

War,  of  Independence,  25;  in  the 
United  States,  Civil,  299 

Washington  (President)  to  the  Catho- 
lics, 25 

Watomika,  217 

Weninger,  Father,  256 

"Western  Missions  and  Mission- 
aries," publication  of,  303 

Westport  (now  Kansas  City),  121 

West,  progress  of  the,  254,  255 

Wheeling,  32 

White  and  Althan,  S.  J.,  Fathers, 
24 

Whitemarsh,  novitiate  at,  23,  26,  30 

Willamette,  Catholic  church  at,  147, 
148;  St.  Francis  Xavier's  Mission 
near  the,  164;  Father  Mengarini 
at,  246 

Wright,  Colonel,  vanquishes  Indians, 
275 


Yakimas,  Catholic  missionaries  for- 
bidden to  enter  reservation  of,  364; 
Ignace,  chief  of,  367 

Yanktons,  Chief  Pananniapapi  of 
the,  337,  342 

Year  of  Accidents,  227 

Yellowstone,  128,  133 

Young,  Brigham,  defies  United  States 
Government,  269 

Young  Ignatius,  99,  102,  103,  123, 
151 

Zerbinati,    Father     {foot-note),    157, 

169 
Zuider  Zee,  19 


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